A3

Beyond economics, youth

unemployment a problem
of dignity, Pope says

Message of Pope Francis at

B1 the
conclusion of the Synod

C1

The Cross

A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and

the Order of the Knights of Columbus

Church joins drive vs Ebola

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Vol. 18 No. 22

Php 20.00

THE Catholic Bisho p s C o n f e re n c e

of the Philippines
(CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on
Health Care (ECHC)
expresses assurance
it is one with the
Philippine government in educating
the public on the nature of Ebola virus,
especially on how
it can be prevented.
In a recent inter-

view over Churchrun Radyo Veritas,

CBCP-ECHC executive secretary Fr.
Dan Cancino said
the commission is
conducting information dissemination
campaigns in different parishes and
schools all over the
Philippines.
We are helping
spread information
Ebola / A7

Pope hits life sentence as

hidden death penalty
By Roy Lagarde

Sandiganbayan
chief sacking is
abuse of power
Church law experts

POPE Francis has called

for the abolition of life
imprisonment calling
it a hidden death sentence and an attack on
penal populism that
offers revenge for victims instead of pursuing
true justice.

AMIDST public indignation over

the perceived selective justice being applied to combat corruption,
Church law experts voiced apprehension over the governments
anti-corruption campaign citing
abuse of power and injustice.
Selective justice is exactly
that, a perversion of justice by
selecting whom to prosecute and
to shield from prosecution, San
Beda College Graduate School
of Law dean Fr. Ranhilio Aquino
said, commenting on the case of
Sandiganbayan Justice Gregory
Ong, who was dismissed by the
Supreme Court on grounds of
dishonesty and impropriety
amidst lack of evidence.
Selective justice
I sympathize with him. Appointed to the SC, his assumption
was held in abeyance because of
the citizenship issue, and now, he
is even dismissed from the service. PNoy had close associations
with Napoles too. Why is this
angle not examined?, he added,
questioning the administrations
seemingly selective position in its
anti-corruption drive.
According to Aquino, so many
Sandiganbayan / A6

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma blesses a miniature Magellans Cross, the official symbol of the International Eucharistic Congress 2016, at the end of the Archdiocesan
Eucharistic Congress held at the Mariners Court in Cebu City on Oct. 25, 2014. This IEC symbol, which recalls the planting of the Cross in the Philippines and the birth of
the Christianity in Asia, embarked on a pilgrimage on Oct. 29 from the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral to different parishes across the country. Sammy Navaja

Go against the tide, Catholic

healthcare workers told

secretary of the Pontifical Council for

Healthcare Workers, said that more than
ever before, it is imperative for health
workers to practice careers imbued by
Healthcare / A6

Veils / A7

Illustration by Brothers Matias

Veils in church, ready for a comeback?

AT the risk of being labeled manang and medieval, a group of young
online missionaries believes the wearing of veils
in churches could bring
back a sense of mystery
and the sacred among
young people.
To wear the veil is
recognizing the glory
and beauty of being a
woman, and to recognize
that truth can be seen
in ones manner and in
ones choice of clothing,
Nirva Delacruz, secretary

Penalty / A6

High trust rating inspires Church

to fulfill mission CBCP official

Bishop Jean-Marie Mupendawatu, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Healthcare Workers, calls on
healthcare professionals to defend the faith in the workplace. File photo

A TOP Vatican prelate called on Catholic

doctors and healthcare professionals to
have the courage to defend their faith
within the workplace.
Bishop Jean-Marie Mupendawatu,

In a speech to a delegation
from the International Association of Penal Law, the pontiff
said Christians must oppose life
incarceration as much as the
capital punishment.
All Christians and people of
good will are thus called today
to struggle, not only for abolition
of the death penalty, whether it
be legal or illegal and in all its
forms, but also to improve prison
conditions, out of respect for the
human dignity of persons deprived of their liberty. And this, I
connect with life imprisonment,
he said. Life imprisonment is a
hidden death penalty, the pope
said on Oct. 23.
The Vatican recently eliminated life imprisonment from its
own penal code, which the pope
said could serve as an example
from other states.
Citing the Catholic teaching,
he said, The Church does not
exclude recourse to the death
penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defend-

THE Catholic Church is taking the

Filipinos high trust like a booster shot
to continue doing its mission to evangelize.
Fr. Marvin Mejia, CBCP secretary
general, said the Church being the most
trusted institution as evident in the latest Philippine Trust Index should spur
the Church to fulfill its pastoral duty.
Its consoling that the Catholic
Church still has place in our nation. And
our leaders, pastors, and lay leaders
have done something good and these
are being recognized, Mejia said.
But he said the survey result is not
something to brag about because historically Filipinos have high trust in
the Church.
Majority of us are Catholics. I think
that is already expected, Mejia said.
Rating / A7

Church backs signature drive vs pork

AN ecumenical gathering
held on Sunday, Oct. 26 simultaneous sign-up drives
in different Metro Manila
churches in an effort to collect as many signatures for
the Peoples Initiative to
Abolish Pork Barrel.
Dubbed the National
Sunday for Sign-Up to Abolish Pork, the campaign was
convoked by the Church
Peoples Alliance (CPAAPB)
against Pork Barrel, with
members from the Catholic,
Aglipayan, and Protestant
churches.
The Church must continue to stand for truth, jus-

tice and righteousness. The

challenge is still there, and
ever greater: we will mark
history for ending the corrupt practice of Pork Barrel
by summoning the people to
sign up, the group said in a
statement.

After Holy Mass, Baclaran devotees take part in the signature drive for the
complete abolishment of the pork barrel funds at the National Shrine of Our
Mother of Perpetual Help in Paraaque City. Raymond A. Sebastin

Multi-faith initiative
In an interview over Catholic radio Veritas on Friday,
Oct. 24, Manila Auxilliary
Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo backed the push for the
scrapping of pork barrel.
The prelate, who also
chairs the Catholic Bishops
Pork / A7

A2

World News

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Amid insurgency, Iraqi priest is

Vatican Briefing
guardian angel of ancient manuscripts

12 Iraqi priests, monks suspended for breaking

vow of obedience

Chaldean patriarch Louis Sako I has suspended a group

of monks and priests who fled Iraq without consulting
their superiors, saying a priests primary duty is to serve
his flock wherever he is asked. Published on the Chaldean
Patriarchates website, the statement gives the names of
six priests and six monks who, as of Oct. 22, have been
suspended from their priestly duties for leaving their
eparchies without consulting their superiors, and for refusing to return when asked. Patriarch Sako noted in his
Oct. 22 statement that those who left are currently living
in the United States, Canada, Australia and Sweden, and
assured that because of this, his decision is not an act
against a certain Eparchy. (CNA)

Pope calls for end to death penalty out of respect

for human dignity

Pope Francis called for the abolition of capital punishment

during a speech on Thursday, as well as all forms of penal
punishment which violate human dignity. In an Oct. 23 audience with delegates from the International Association
of Penal Law, the Pope decried the growing conviction
in recent decades that through public punishment it is
possible to solve different and disparate social problems,
as if for different diseases one could prescribe the same
medicine. It is impossible to imagine that today (there
are) states which cannot make use of means other than
capital punishment to defend the life of other persons
from unjust aggressors, he said. (CNA)

Vatican gives global communications group official

stamp of approval

In a rare move, the Vatican has officially recognized the

public communications organization SIGNIS as a Catholic
association, which, according to a Vatican official, happens less than once a year. SIGNIS is called to form lay
Catholics who work in the media to be truly salt and
light, and to be a leaven that transforms the world from
within, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko said in the Oct. 24 ceremony for the consignment of the Decree of erection of
the International Association. The cardinal, who serves as
president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, told the
organization that their Christian witness is important
for the Church and for the world. The Church needs this,
and counts on you as part of its mission of evangelizing
the world of today. (CNA)

Sistine Chapel being used as sacred place not

venue for private parties

Director of the Vatican Museums Antonio Paolucci has

rejected rumors that they are now renting the Sistine
Chapel, adding that beauty is always an occasion to grow
in charity and generosity. In the last few days Ive read
that someone thought we are renting the Sistine Chapel
to those who have money to spend, Paolucci said in an
Oct. 20 statement released by the Vatican Museums. It is
nothing of the sort, because the Sistine Chapel is a sacred
place: its certainly not able to be rented on request, nor
will it ever become a venue for private parties! (CNA)

Terrorism in Mideast has reached unimaginable

proportions, pope says

The Middle East, especially Iraq and Syria, are experiencing terrorism of previously unimaginable proportions
in which the perpetrators seem to have absolutely no
regard for the value of human life, Pope Francis said.
It seems that the awareness of the value of human life
has been lost; it seems that the person does not count
and can be sacrificed to other interests. And all of this,
unfortunately, with the indifference of many, he said
during a special meeting at the Vatican on the Middle
East. The pope met Oct. 20 with cardinals gathered for an
ordinary public consistory to approve the canonization
of new saints, and to discuss the current situation in the
Middle East. (CNS)

Pope Francis says Pope Benedict was a great pope

Retired Pope Benedict XVI is a perfect example of how

intellectual knowledge and scientific curiosity do not
lead a person further from God, but can strengthen their
love for God and for his human creatures, Pope Francis
said. Benedict XVI was a great pope, he said: Great for
the power and penetration of his intellect, great for his
considerable contribution to theology, great for his love
for the church and for human beings, great for his virtues
and his religiosity.Pope Francis praised his predecessor
Oct. 27 at a meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
The academicians invited Pope Francis to unveil a bronze
bust of Pope Benedict at the academys headquarters in
the Vatican Gardens. (CNS)

Paul VI was pope of firsts, a pope of dialogue,

cardinal says

Retired Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who comes

from the same diocese as Pope Paul VI did and worked for
him in the Vatican Secretariat of State, described the late
pope as a man rich in spirituality, a thinker and a pastor
very sensitive to the challenges of the modern world.
Speaking to reporters Oct. 17, two days before Pope Francis was to beatify Pope Paul, the cardinal said his concern
for modern men and women and his awareness that the
majority of the worlds people were not Catholic, also
made him a great man of dialogue.Pope Paul exemplified a dialogue respectful of others, one that listens to
others and, therefore, trusts that there are values in the
other, but also a dialogue that aims to proclaim Gods
love for all and to proclaim the truths of the Gospel, the
cardinal said. (CNS)

Bludgeoned by all sides, family needs church for

help, pope says

The family is under attack now more than ever because

of todays culture of division that wants to break from
and be free of all everlasting bonds and forms of solidarity, Pope Francis said. Talking about problems of the
family, for example, bonds are being destroyed, instead
of created. Why? Because we are living in a culture of the
provisional, of conflict, of the inability to make alliances,
he said. What is needed is a church and Christians who
are willing to waste time on people, not just principles,
and accompany face-to-face those needing to discover
the truth in Jesus Christ, he said. The popes comments
came during a 90-minute encounter with about 8,000 lay
members of the international Schonstatt movement Oct. 25
in the Vatican audience hall. The movement, founded by
the late German Father Joseph Kentenich, was celebrating
its 100th anniversary. (CNS)

ROME, October 22, 2014Just as the so-called

Monuments Men salvaged European masterpieces stolen by Nazi forces during World War
II, a Dominican priest is protecting priceless
manuscripts from falling into the hands of
rampaging militants in northern Iraq.
Though operating on a much smaller scale,
Dominican Father Najeeb Michaeel and the
ancient manuscript collections in his care still
face a very real threat.
Islamic State militants have been sweeping
across the northern Iraq region in their bid to
establish an Islamic state. Their campaign has
become increasingly brutal in recent months
as they continue to lay siege to unprotected
towns and villages, murder hostages, threaten
residents, confiscate property and, by many
reports, desecrate or ransack religious places
of worship.
The Dominicans collection of medieval
manuscripts and valuable documents that
already survived centuries of conflict and
potential neglect were now under threat
once again.
Early Aug. 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration, the residents of Qaraqosh woke up to the
news that the Kurdish regional forces, known
as peshmerga and who had been repelling
militant incursions, had packed up and left
the city in the dead of night.
The people woke up and realized they
had no protection and they started scrambling to evacuate the city, said Benedictine
Father Columba Stewart, director of the Hill
Museum and Manuscript Library at St. Johns
Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota,
who has been helping Father Michaeel with
his preservation work since 2009.
People had to flee on foot as the limited
number of vehicles were being used to shuttle
children, the ill and the elderly out of the city,
he told Catholic News Service Oct. 21 from
Collegeville.
Father Michaeel and his small team managed to pack two open-bed pickup trucks full
of nondescript cardboard boxes holding 1,300
extremely fragile and valuable 14th to 19th
century manuscripts.
Father Stewart said Father Michaeel was
able to save really important patriarchal
manuscripts from the Chaldean Patriarchate
in Baghdad that recently had lent their collection to him for digitizing.
The wave of townspeople, including Father Michaeel, walked 40 miles in scorching
August heat to Irbil, capital of the Kurdish
region of Iraq, carrying whatever they could,
said Father Stewart, who remains in almost
daily contact with the Iraqi priest.
Just hours before militants invaded, they
were able to truck the manuscripts, leaving
behind the laboratory and digitizing equipment that had been provided by funding

through the Hill

Museum and
Manuscript Library.
Now, in addition to preserving the manuscripts, the priest
and his community provide the
lions share of
care of the refugees suddenly
fragile lives because so many
lack any shelter
and support,
Father Stewart
said.
Father Michaeel started
collecting and
preserving the
nations cultural Dominican Father Najeeb Michaeel works on a manuscript at his restoration laboratory in
a n d re l i g i o u s Qaraqosh, Iraq, before Islamic State militants invaded Qaraqosh Aug. 6. Father Michaeel and his
team moved 1,300 manuscripts dating from the 14th to 19th centuries before the invasion. CNS/
heritage as re- courtesy of Centre Numerique des Manuscrits Orientaux
corded on the
All training, funding and equipment for
manuscripts in
Father Michaeels work come through the
the 1980s.
He persuades manuscript owners, mon- donations, grants and foundation money
asteries and churches to let him borrow pulled together by Father Stewart.
Father Stewart said Father Michaeel and his
their works to be cleaned and digitized; he
then returns the restored originals and gives restoration team have made digital copies of
digitized copies to the owner and specialized 5,000 manuscripts with the librarys support.
Its amazing what theyre doing on their
archives.
The priest also built a collection of some 750 own, he said.
They will be getting new equipment as they
manuscripts from the Dominican community.
Father Stewart said the early European settle in Irbil, he said, with now a second exoDominicans in Iraq were the first cultural dus under their belt. They were uprooted from
anthropologists in the area. They described Mosul in 2008, when the entire Dominican
what they were seeing and left very interesting community left, many for Qaraqosh, in the
records, he said, documenting their work wake of mounting kidnappings and threats
against religious.
and the communities they ministered to.
Father Stewart said as the Iraqi people,
The Dominicans have been in Iraq for so
long, theres a lot of depth and history in especially Christians, continue to be pushed
out of their homes and their country and settle
the collection, Father Stewart said.
Luckily, Father Michaeel already had digi- elsewhere, their history and heritage gradutized the collections in the Mar Behnam Syriac ally will be lost.
These are communities that no longer
Catholic Monastery, which is now behind the
front lines of the militants and rumored to exist as the people have scattered and their
have been destroyed or burned down, Father traditions fade away, he said.
When communities disappear, their heriStewart said.
Father Michaeel and his staff of six to tage goes with them, he added, so these
eight local Iraqis use a simple, inexpensive manuscripts and documents will most likely
technique of photographing manuscript end up being the only memories that survive.
Even though they are digital surrogates,
pages with a high-end 35mm camera and
flash strobe lights for illumination. The digital its not the best, but they are better than nothimages are stored on a hard drive, which is ing, he said.
The museum and its funders will continue
then sent to Collegeville.
Staff at the Hill Museum and Manuscript to support the preservation work because,
Library then makes multiple backups, orga- Father Stewart said, its a tiny investment
nizes the data, catalogues it and puts it online for such a huge boon of conserving cultural
memory. (CNS)
for scholars, Father Stewart said.

Ebola survivor Nina Pham: I believe in the power of prayer

WASHINGTON D.C., Oct 24,
2014Nina Pham, a Dallas nurse
who has been battling Ebola after
treating a patient in Texas, has
now been declared free of the
disease, and gave thanks to God
and all those who have prayed for
her in recent weeks.
I feel fortunate and blessed to
be standing here today, Pham
said in a press conference Oct.
24. I would first and foremost
like to thank God, my family and
friends. Throughout this ordeal, I

have put my trust in God and my

medical team.
Pham thanked everyone who
had been involved in her care, both
in Texas and Maryland. She offered
special gratitude to Ebola survivor
Dr. Kent Brantly for donating
plasma, calling it a selfless act.
I believe in the power of
prayer because I know so many
people all over the world have
been praying for me, she continued. I join you in prayer now for
the recovery of others.

The 26-year-old nurse, described by friends as a devout

Catholic, is believed to have
contracted Ebola while caring for
a Thomas Eric Duncan, a patient
at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Duncan passed
away from Ebola Oct. 8.
Pham was transferred to the
National Institutes of Health in
Maryland on Oct. 16. Numerous
tests have now shown her to be
Ebola free, and she will return
to Texas to continue regaining

strength.
Ebola continues to devastate
parts of West Africa. The World
Health Organization said that
nearly 5,000 deaths had been
reported as of Oct. 19, but the
true numbers could be as high
as 15,000.
Phams fellow nurse, Amber
Vinson, had also contracted Ebola
after caring for Duncan. Vinson is
currently being treated. Her family said Oct. 22 that she had tested
free of the disease. (CNA)

Pope Francis encourages Card Zen, the one who fights with a sling
HONG KONG, Oct 24, 2014This is the one
who fights with a sling, said the pope when
he greeted Hong Kongs Bishop Emeritus
Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun after the beatification Mass of Paul VI, wrote the bishop himself
in his Chinese-language blog.
The pontiffs choice of words, the prelate said,
was a reference to his involvement in the prodemocracy Occupy Central movement, which
has been pushing for democracy in the former
British colony for the past couple of years.
For almost a month, hundreds of students
and protesters have been blocking key areas in
Hong Kong in order to push for genuine political and electoral reforms ahead of the election
for the post of chief executive scheduled for
2017. Hong Kong authorities have responded
by dismissing protesters demands for changes
to Chinas plan to vet and chose the candidates.
By contrast, in July 2013, the Diocese of
Hong Kong issued a paper backing civil
disobedience, whilst its Justice and Peace
Commission explained why it was in favour

of the movement. and despite his advanced

age, Bishop Emeritus Card Zen got directly
involved in the protest movement.
Under the scorching sun last June, the
83-year-old (next January) walked for 84
hours to urge people to vote in an unofficial
referendum on universal suffrage.
He also wrote and delivered public speeches in favour of the movements demands, calling on Beijing to respect the promises it made
before Hong Kongs return to the motherland.
Last but not least, he stayed overnight in the
streets with the students who have occupied
key areas in the city for nearly a month.
In Rome for the closing of the Synod on the
family and the beatification of Pope Paul VI,
the bishop met with the Holy Father.
After the beatification Mass, Pope Francis took off his vestment and greeted Pope
emeritus Benedict XVI and the cardinals. [. .
.] I queued in the line and thought of a few
words to speak to the Pope, in order not to
waste his time.

I prepared to tell the Pope, the Holy

Father, I come from the battlefield in Hong
Kong. You may probably know that. Please
pray for us, that violence might not happen.
As he is wont to do, the pontiff surprised
him. Finally, I came in front of the Pope. Before I could speak, he laughed and said, Ah!
Ah! This is the one who fights with a sling.
I hurried to say the words I had prepared. I
kissed his hand and then left, so as not to hold
up the queue.
It sounded like the pope was quoting
someone elses words, did he mock me?
Card Zen wondered. I think not. He knew
David defeated the Giant Goliath. He was
encouraging me: Do not be afraid, the God
of Israel is with David.
This exchange made me think twice.
David was then a youth. Isnt he a symbol
to our students? I hope those students will
remember that neither youth nor a stone, but
Gods help enabled David to defeat the giant.
(AsiaNews)

Sri Lankas snap poll casts doubt on Popes visit

COLOMBO, Oct 21, 2014The
Catholic Church in Sri Lanka on
Tuesday asked the government
to clarify its plans for a snap
presidential election, amid fears
the polls will scupper a planned
visit by the Pope.
Sri Lanka has not yet announced
an election date, but the countrys
information minister said Monday
that the polls would be held in
January, the same month that Pope
Francis is due to visit.
The Church had earlier said
it would be inappropriate for
the Pope to visit any country at
the time of a national election.
We are yet to decide anything, said church spokesman

Cyril Gamini Fernando. There

will be a meeting of the bishops
to discuss this.
Official sources said Church
authorities had asked the government to clarify Information
Minister Keheliya Rambukwellas announcement Monday that President Mahinda
Rajapakse would run for a third
term at an election in January.
United National Party opposition parliamentarian John
Amaratunga told ucanews.com
that it would be wise to delay
the election until after Pope
Francis visit.
The Pope will come to Sri
Lanka to hold the canoniza-

tion of Blessed Joseph Vaz and

this is a great opportunity for
the Catholic community in the
country, said Amarathunga.
The election should not be in
January and it could be held at
any time in March.
Amaratunga also cautioned
that there could be post election violence.
An early election had been
widely expected, but Mondays
announcement was the first
confirmation that Rajapakse is
seeking a fresh mandate after
removing the two-term limit on
the presidency soon after winning re-election in 2010.
Official sources said Janu-

ary 7, 8 and 9 were considered

astrologically auspicious for
Rajapakse and the vote could be
held on any of those three days.
Rajapakse gained popularity
among Sri Lankas majority Sinhalese community by crushing
a Tamil separatist rebellion in
May 2009 and ending a 37-yearlong Tamil separatist war.
But his partys popularity has
fallen in recent months and saw
its share of the vote plummet
by over 20 percentage points in
September local elections.
Roman Catholics account for
around six percent of the population in Buddhist-majority Sri
Lanka. (UCAN)

News Features

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Stop sharing online

porn bishop

Bishop Gilbert Garcera of Daet catechizes kids in his diocese in Camarines Norte. File photo

MANILA, Oct. 26, 2014A

Catholic bishop has warned the
public against polluting the
minds of the youth by sharing
pornographic images and videos
over social media.
We also appeal to people
who pass on these kinds of materials to stop from doing so. These
pollute the minds of people
especially our young people
that lead to the trivializing of
their sexuality which come from
God, Bishop Gilbert Garcera of
Daet in Camarines Norte said.
In a pastoral statement, he
called for responsible internet
use, the lack of which puts kids
at the highest risk for unwanted
exposure to pornography.
The prelate, a former secretary general of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines, particularly called the
attention of parents to protect
their children from lewd photos and pornography found
online.
The bishop issued the statement after scandalous photos
showing Camarines Norte Gov-

ernor Edgardo Tallado and his

alleged mistress have surfaced
online, going viral.
In recent days, Garcera said
many people have witnessed
how sin and inordinate passion can destroy marital relationships and make or break
families a reminder for everyone to renew Churchs efforts
to help married people live up
to their promise of fidelity and
and fruitfulness in professing
their marriage vows.
May these trying times in our
lives as a province and as a community of Gods people teach
us to exert every possible effort
to grow close to God so that we
may remain in our commitment
to our Christian Vocation, Garcera said.
We need to pray more for
families, especially husbands
and wives so that their love
and faithfulness will truly be
grounded on their faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ whose mercy
and forgiveness require repentance and reparation, he added.
(CBCPNews)

Leave erring clergy to

Canon Law, bishopspriest

A3

Beyond economics, youth unemployment

a problem of dignity, Pope says
VATICAN City, Oct 25, 2014
-- Pope Francis has sent a message to young people affected
by the culture of waste, calling
on them to spread the hope of
the Gospel amid these times of
uncertainty.
The Popes message, dated
Oct. 16, was written to mark the
Italian Bishops conference of
Salernos national convention
on the theme: Hope amid uncertainty.
According to the message, the
aim of the convention, which
runs from Oct. 24-26, was to reflect on that which offers hopeful
prospects, in a time marked by
uncertainty, bewilderment, and
great changes.
Having encountered many
young people over the course
of his visits throughout Italy,
the Pope Francis writes that he
has seen firsthand the plight of
many unemployed youth.
The problem is more than
merely economic, he said: It is
a problem of dignity. Without

Vatican City - September 3, 2014: Pope Francis spoke with youth in a Google Hangout
session from the Vaticans Synod Hall on the final day of the Scholas Occurentes
conference, September 3, 2014. CNA

work, one cannot have the experience of dignity which comes

from being able to put food on
the table. And unfortunately,
he said, there are many young
people in Italy without work.
At this moment in time, the

Pope writes, the culture of

waste is strong: everything that
does not bring in a profit is discarded. The youth are discarded,
because they are without work.
Because of this, the future of a
people is discarded, since the

youth represent the future of a

people. We must say no to this
culture of waste.
Amid this uncertainty, the
Pope said, there is another
word: hope. It is through the
strength of the Gospel that
one keeps from losing hope in
the quicksand of uncertainty.
The Gospel is the source of
hope, because it comes from
God, because it comes from Jesus
Christ, who sympathizes with
all of our uncertainties.
You young people belong to
the Church, he said, and therefore you have the gift and the
responsibility to use the power
of the Gospel within the current
social and cultural context.
Pope Francis concluded the
message, saying: The Gospel
engenders attentiveness toward
the other, a culture of encounter,
of solidarity. Therefore, with the
strength of the Gospel, you are
witnesses of hope amid uncertainty. (Ann Schneible/CNA/
EWTN News)

The Passion of Blessed Paul VI - Humanae vitae

VATICAN City, Oct 21, 2014Father Francesco di Felice worked at the Secretariat of
State during the pontificate of Bl. Paul VI,
and recently recounted the story behind the
blessed Popes 1968 encyclical which was
received with widespread dissent.
In drafting Humanae vitae, his encyclical
on the regulation of birth, Bl. Paul VI studied
the work began by St. John XXIII, who created a commission for the study of population
problems, the family, and births in order to
have a better understanding of the effects of
contraceptives, Fr. di Felice told CNA.
Hormonal contraceptives having been
introduced in 1960, in March 1963
three months before his deathSt. John
XXIII established a Pontifical Commission
on Birth Control to, as Bl. Paul VI wrote in
his encyclical, examine views and opinions
concerning married life, and especially on
the correct regulation of births and to
provide the teaching authority of the Church
with such evidence as would enable it to give
an apt reply in this matter.
St. John XXIII had appointed six persons
to the commission, which Bl. Paul VI soon
increased to 12. Then, in 1965, he further
increased it to 75 members, plus a president,
Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and
two deputies, Cardinals Julius Doepfner and
John Heenan.
During that time there was much lobbying,
even among Churchmen, to accept artificial
means of contraception. Cardinal Leo Suenens asked on Oct. 29, 1964 for an opening
to artificial birth control, and his opinion was
backed by many participants of the Second
Vatican Council.
In April 1967, a document favorable to-

ward the birth control pill was published

simultaneously in the French newspaper Le
Monde, the English magazine The Tablet, and the American magazine National
Catholic Reporter.
The leaked report stressed that 70 members of the Pontifical Commission were
favorable to the pill; but the document was
in fact just one of the 12 reports presented
to the Holy Father, Bernardo Colombo, a
professor of demographics and a member
of the commission, revealed in an article he
wrote in Teologia, the journal of the theological faculty of Milan and Northern Italy.
The same report which had been leaked
to the media was sent to Bl. Paul VI, and it
was divided into two parts: the opinion of
the majority, supporting artificial contraception, and the minority report, arguing for the
maintenance of traditional Catholic teaching.
Fr. di Felice told CNA that Paul VI took
these two documents, one from the majority
and the other from the minority. He brought
them to his private chapel, and spent the
entire night in prayer asking what he should
do for the good of souls.
Then, in the first light of dawn, a strong
decision came to him like an illumination, as
if the Holy Spirit was comforting him, and he
said, This is what I should choose!
And it was a huge choice, the priest
recounted, because if we had allowed the
use of pills that alter the mystery of life, we
would have altered the natural course, and
that would have been a disaster.
Bl. Paul VI himself recounted in the encyclical that when the evidence of the experts
had been received, as well as the opinions
and advice of a considerable number of Our
brethren in the episcopate We were in a

position to weigh with more precision all the

aspects of this complex subject.
Acknowledging that he was departing
from the majority opinion of the commission,
the blessed Pope wrote that the conclusions arrived at by the commission could
not be considered by Us as definitive and
absolutely certain, dispensing Us from the
duty of examining personally this serious
question. This was all the more necessary
because, within the commission itself, there
was not complete agreement concerning the
moral norms to be proposed, and especially
because certain approaches and criteria for a
solution to this question had emerged which
were at variance with the moral doctrine on
marriage constantly taught by the magisterium of the Church.
Consequently, now that We have sifted
carefully the evidence sent to Us and intently studied the whole matter, as well as
prayed constantly to God, We, by virtue of
the mandate entrusted to Us by Christ, intend to give Our reply to this series of grave
questions, he concluded the first chapter of
Humanae vitae.
When Bl. Paul VI published these words,
public opinion was already oriented against
the Churchs principles which he had reaffirmed, and bitter disputes arose against the
Church.
Because of all this, Bl. Paul VIs Secretary
of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, would
later say, On the morning of July 25, 1968,
Paul VI celebrated the Mass of the Holy
Spirit, asked for light from on high and
signed it. It was his most difficult signature,
one of his most glorious signatures. He
signed his own passion. (Marta Jimenez/
CNA/EWTN News)

Netizens campaign for more Pinoy saints

Fr. Jerome R. Secillano. Patricia Juarez Custodio

MANILA, Oct. 25, 2014What

can the laity do when their pastors do not live up to their duties? According to a priest, lay
people, despite good intentions,
are better off leaving the matter to bishops who know about
Canon Law.
In cases when members of the
clergy are the ones compromising the integrity of faith and
morals, the head of Sampaloc,
Manilas Nuestra Seora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish, Fr. Jerome
R. Secillano, offers the canonical remedy of having recourse
to bishops who have the power
to apply the full force of Canon
Law in cases of erring priests.
Respect, dignity
Citing the 1983 Code of Canon
Law (CIC), in his essay Clericalizing the Laity, Secillano says,
Christs faithful have the right
and at times the duty, in keeping
with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to
the sacred Pastors their views on
matters that concern the good of
the Church (Can. 212 3).
But in doing so, Secillano
points out, they must always
respect the integrity of faith and
morals, show due reverence to
the pastors and take into account
both the common good and the
dignity of individuals (Can.
212 3).
The priest stresses that nothing in the law gives lay people
the right to kick out their erring
pastors, especially in a manner
that disrespects their sacred
office.
According to him, lay people
are to show respect and should
take into account the common
good and the persons dignity.
Secillano admits this is often
hard to swallow, asking, How
can someone show respect if

the other is not worthy of it? For

many of us, respect is earned and
is not an entitlement.
Struggle for power
He shares that suspension and
defrocking of priests do not often
solve the issue of a clericalized
laity, emphasizing instead the
education of clerics, religious,
and laity, which he deems more
important.
Clerics and religious would
have to be reminded of their
essential character as central
figures in the church. Whether
we admit it or not, they are still
the face of the church. The lay
people, for their part, have to be
educated on their roles and be
formed as evangelizers in the
secular sphere, specifically in areas where the presence of priests
are not lawfully warranted such
as family, politics and business,
Secillano says.
According to Secillano this
apparent division of labor in the
mission of the Church should not
lead to a struggle for power
between the laity and the clergy
On one hand, clerics and
religious should not fear the
laity. Lay people, on the other
hand, should not be unnecessarily aggressive. From clerics and
religious, the laity receives the
strength through the sacraments
and the dynamic exposition of
the churchs doctrines and then
the encouragement to evangelize
the secular order. The laity, then,
takes full responsibility in the secular area, the priest explained.
Secillano likewise decried the
venturing of clerics into politics
and business, saying it is a manifestation of the failure to form
a dynamic laity whose proper
mission is to evangelize precisely
these spheres.(Raymond A.
Sebastin)

ANTIPOLO City, Rizal, Oct. 26,

2014An online campaign that
is making waves in social media
aims to raise awareness about
the lives of yet to be recognized
saintly Filipinos, including foreign saints who had lived in the
country at some point.
Started by Jovi Atanacio, the
Facebook group Wanted: Filipino Saints introduces to netizens
ordinary men and women
some well-known, others not
sowho led lives of extraordinary virtues and holiness.
Tidal wave of immorality
By this Facebook page on
Filipino saints, I hope to propagate holiness and earnestly pray
that in Gods time [Filipino
saints may] be recognized by the
Church and be raised to the altars for our emulation, he said.
According to Atanacio, it has
been his long-time dream to create a group that would research,
showcase, and promote holiness

as exemplified by lives of known

and unknown Filipinos.
In this time of societal decay,
when we see officials clamoring
to pass RH Billand soon legalize
the murder of the unborn through
abortionI pray to God to raise
more saints from our beloved
country to counter the tidal wave
of immorality, he explained.
Atanacio said the late Interior
Secretary Jesse Robredo was one
of his inspirations in creating the
group in 2012.
When Sec. Robredo died,
there were news that he lived a
holy life, his confessor related
he confessed regularly and attended daily mass. He lived his
faith and worked honestly and
with integrity, he said.
There is a need for Catholic
role models, he said, especially
of those who have lived in modern times and in the country.
It greatly helps when we can
identify with them and their experiences, Atanacio explained.

Robredos example
Raised in a devoutly Catholic
household, Atanacio told CBCPNews that saints have always
fascinated him due mostly to his
parents influence who taught
him and his siblings to be familiar with them.
Our father especially acquired many books about them.
This collection I continued when
I had my own earnings. The
internet also helped me in my
research on saints. Others were
contributed by the group members Since the 90s (in my
early 20s) Ive been looking and
collecting news clippings on possible candidates for sainthood..
he shared.
And Robredo provided this
needed impetus.
Like a ray of sunshine, DILG
Sec. Jesse Robredo came. He is
the sign and hope that saints still
live among us Filipinos. It is high
time that we know them and be
inspired by their examples, said

Atanacio, who is also a member

of the Work of the Saints, an
apostolate which propagates
holiness by holding expositions
of saints relics in parishes and
schools in Metro Manila and the
provinces.
In Wanted: Filipino Saints,
Atanacio invites his over 2,000
fellow saint-lovers to post biographical information of and
anecdotes on saints, blesseds,
venerables, martyrs or servants
of God who were Filipino-born
as well as foreign ones with links
to the Philippines either as missionaries, visitors, or bilocators.
He also encourages members
to promote the lives of as yet
obscure Filipinos who may
have possessed heroic virtues,
and are potential candidates for
sainthood.
To visit the page, interested
parties may click on https://
www.facebook.com/groups/3
94440117276318/?fref=ts. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Opinion

A4

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

EDITORIAL

The fealty of Pope Francis

THE message of Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Extraordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops put to rest the controversy
that was stirred by the Synod midterm report. It also dampened the
hopes of those who were speculating that the Synod Fathers were now
moving towards conciliatory language in dealing with divorced and
remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and same-sex unionsas it
silenced the frenzy of the media that hoisted such banners as Synod
signals Catholic shift on gays and Vaticans New Views on Gays,
Divorced and hailed a possible slackening of the Churchs teaching
on marriage.
Outside the synod hall, a good segment of the whole Christendom was
very apprehensive. Some were scared and even hurt. They thought that
the prelates running the proceedings were handpicked by the Pontiff to
formally propose a general shift of the Churchs attitude towards nonmarital relationships and the admission of the divorced-and-remarried
to communion which cuts deeply into the Churchs teaching on the
indissolubility of marriage.

And he even went deeper into restating a new ecclesiology that is ever
faithful to the Gospel in the face of contemporary realities. He said,
And this is the Churchwho is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to
pour oil and wine on peoples wound; who doesnt see humanity as a
house of glass to judge or categorize people. This is the Church, One,
Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of Gods
mercy. This is the Church, the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be
faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine. It is the Church that is not
afraid to eat and drink with prostitutes and publicans. The Church that
has the doors wide open to receive the needy, the penitent, and not
only the just or those who believe they are perfect! The Church that is
not ashamed of the fallen brother and pretends not to see him, but on
the contrary feels involved and almost obliged to lift him up and to
encourage him to take up the journey again and accompany him toward
a definitive encounter with her Spouse, in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Pope Francis beatified Pope Paul VI, who issued Humanae Vitae, at
the closing of the Synod. This may be his loudest affirmation of the
Churchs teaching on the family and life.

Concern for the vulnerable

JESUS, the evangelizer par excellence and the Gospel in person,
identifies especially with the little ones (cf. Mt 25:40). This reminds
us Christians that we are called to care for the vulnerable of the earth.
But the current model, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance,
does not appear to favor an investment in efforts to help the slow, the
weak or the less talented to find opportunities in life.
It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability,
in which we are called to recognize the suffering Christ, even if this
appears to bring us no tangible and immediate benefits. I think of the
homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who
are increasingly isolated and abandoned, and many others. Migrants
present a particular challenge for me, since I am the pastor of a Church
without frontiers, a Church which considers herself mother to all. For
this reason, I exhort all countries to a generous openness which, rather
than fearing the loss of local identity, will prove capable of creating
new forms of cultural synthesis. How beautiful are those cities which
overcome paralyzing mistrust, integrate those who are different and
make this very integration a new factor of development! How attractive
are those cities which, even in their architectural design, are full of
spaces which connect, relate and favor the recognition of others!
I have always been distressed at the lot of those who are victims of
various kinds of human trafficking. How I wish that all of us would hear
Gods cry: Where is your brother? (Gen 4:9). Where is your brother
or sister who is enslaved? Where is the brother and sister whom you are
killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in
children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labor? Let us
not look the other way. There is greater complicity than we think. The
issue involves everyone! This infamous network of crime is now well
established in our cities, and many people have blood on their hands
as a result of their comfortable and silent complicity.
Doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion,
mistreatment and violence, since they are frequently less able to defend
their rights. Even so, we constantly witness among them impressive
examples of daily heroism in defending and protecting their vulnerable
families.
Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with
particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless
and innocent among us. Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their
human dignity and to do with them whatever one pleases, taking their
lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in the way of
this. Frequently, as a way of ridiculing the Churchs effort to defend
their lives, attempts are made to present her position as ideological,
obscurantist and conservative. Yet this defense of unborn life is closely
linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves
the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in
any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings are
ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems.
Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations
for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to
the passing whims of the powers that be. Reason alone is sufficient
to recognize the inviolable value of each single human life, but if we
also look at the issue from the standpoint of faith, every violation of
the personal dignity of the human being cries out in vengeance to God
and is an offence against the creator of the individual.
-- Evangelii Gaudium, pp. 209-213

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But Pope Francis whose address was met with a four-minute standing
ovation by the Synod participants settled everybody back on track. He
told the Synod Fathers that the animated disputations were movement
of the spirits as they were full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal,
of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of parrhesia. And he
assured them that I have felt that what was set before our eyes was the
good of the Church, of families, and the supreme law, and the good
of souls. And this alwayswithout ever putting into question the
fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage: the indissolubility,
the unity, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that openness to life.

Exploring Priest-Laity
Relationships
POPE Francis, whom the Filipino people eagerly await, recently asserted that the Church
needs the unique contribution
of the laity, but they must not
be clericalized. He said: The
way I see it, clericalism prevents
lay people from growing. For
Francis, this is a two-way
temptation, because clericalism
would not exist if there werent
any lay people who want to be
clericalized. In addition, a
priest cannot do a lay persons
job; a lay person has the
strength that comes from baptism and his lay vocation is not
negotiable.
A Vatican II Vision: Shared
Discipleship. The Popes views
follow the document on the
life of priests from the Second
Vatican Council; Presbyterorum
Ordinis devotes an entire section (9) to the relationship between priests and laity. While
recognizing their role as father
and teacher in the Church, the

Council also emphasizes what

priests have in common with all
the laity.
Priests are, together with all
Christs faithful, disciples of the
Lord, made sharers in his Kingdom by the grace of Gods call.
For priests are brothers among
brothers with all those who have
been reborn at the baptismal
font. They are all members of
one and the same Body of Christ,
the building up of which is required of everyone.
The Council asserts that
priests must work together
with the lay faithful. Priests
must sincerely acknowledge
and promote the dignity of
the laity and the part proper
to them in the mission of the
Church. They must willingly
listen to the laity, consider
their wants in a fraternal spirit,
recognize their experience and
competence in the different
areas of human activity, so that
together with them they will be

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

and thats the truth

WHY is it that almost always, during
communion, people tend to prefer receiving
the Body of Christ from the priest instead of
the special ministers of the Holy Eucharist?
Even when the queues for the latter are getting shorter, few of those lined up for the
priest would bother to switch lines. With
bishops its even worsenagsisingitan pa.
A survey on this phenomenonpaging
SWS and Pulse Asia!would certainly yield
interesting results because (according to my
private mini-survey) people feel it more
when the Host comes from the hands of a
priest. Somehow they perceive the priest as
closer to God while the special ministers
of the Holy Eucharist are justwell, special.
The thing is, people look up to priests.
They like to think that these men in cassocks
are their links to God, and therefore, holy.
They believe priests have clean hands.
Thus, when they find out that priests can
have soiled hands or feet of clay, or some-

Living Mission
Year of Laity Reflections

able to recognize the signs of

the times.
Guidelines to Follow. Describing the role of the laity in the
life and mission of the Church,
Jesuit Adolfo Nicolas enunciates four principles to guide the
priest-laity relationship.
Priority of the People of God. All
forms of ministry are for Gods
people; laitys participation and
involvement are imperative.
Priority of the Common Priesthood of All Believers. The fundamental priestly identity is
received by all at baptism;
the whole Body of Christ is
priestly.
Priority of the Pneumatic Principle in the Church. The life of the
Church emerges from the active
presence of the Spirit; the Spirit
gifts the Church with a wide diversity of charisms. This is the
principle of creativity, harmony
in diversity, communion of all
believers.
Priority of Faith. The Church

holds that the foundational sacraments are baptism and eucharist; they precede the sacrament
of orders. A priest is to be the
humble servant of baptism and
in the service of the eucharist.
Ministry Formation is Imperative. The growth of diverse lay
ministries in the post-Vatican
II Church is a most welcomed
evolution. For mature growth
in diverse lay ministries, proper
formation is necessary. Asias
bishops assert: The very character of the person (his charism,
talents and maturity) and the
situational needs of the place
or region will determine largely
the type of formation. Carefully designed lay formation
programs must respect the
demands and responsibilities
of a lay situation (family and
profession); anything that
alienates him from his context
of life should be avoided. Pope
Francis would most certainly
agree!

The priests

how fail to live up to their expectations, they

get disappointed. Not seeing Christ in the
person of the priest, they walk awaytheir
fervor cools off, they stop coming to church,
they convert to other religions. (I know, I
know, it all sounds so unfair and unjust, for
priests are human beings, too, but wait
Im just mirroring the truth for everyone.
Walang personalan, trabaho lang).
This lady I knowa most congenial
person, being in the PR businesstearfully
admitted to me that she used to be a devout
Catholic. Raised a colegiala she fulfilled her
religious obligations as expected of heruntil she fell in love with a married man. Head
over heels in love she said she was in bliss
with the guy, but her conscience bothered
her. For a long time she inhibited herself
from communion because she was aware she
was in a state of grievous sin. The day came
when she felt she had missed communion
for too long, and so she desired to receive

Vigilance, paranoia,
charity
IT goes without saying that we need to be
vigilant all the time. Many reasons come
to mind. We are in our life like having a
trip, and we should try to avoid getting
diverted from our path. Also, we are in our
life somehow in a state of expectation, and
we should be ready for the fulfillment of that
expectation.
Besides, in our life there will always be
dangers and mishaps that would require us
to be watchful. These dangers, difficulties,
challenges and all the possible consequences
they can bring require us to be very discerning, prudent and at the same time, prompt
in taking the appropriate action. We should
avoid getting complacent in this duty.
Given our human condition, we cannot
help but get tense, be held in suspense, and
somehow, be haunted by fear, doubts, uncertainties. To some extent, this is all normal. We
just have to make sure that this understandable fretting does not go overboard, leading
us to a state of paranoia when we become
suspicious of everything and of everyone.
The duty to be watchful and vigilant is no

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Him. Soon.
Resolute and unswerving, she decided
to return to Jesus. She hadnt broken off
with Mr. Married Man but she intended to,
soon. She went to confession, seeking forgiveness and hoping to be strengthened by
the priest. Instead, she got bawled out of the
confessional box. I had barely begun my
confession, she said, weeping bitter tears,
Why did he shout at me? He said Thats
a mortal sin, get out of here, get out! and
slammed the window shut. It was so loud
everybody heard, I was sooo embarrassed!
Sobbing, she left the confessional in shame
as everyone stared at me as if Im naked,
and she never went back. Soon she joined
a born again community. I went ready
to give up the man. I needed guidance and
to be led to Gods forgiveness, but instead I
found condemnation. At that moment I felt
God didnt love me at all.

And Thats The Truth / A7

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

excuse for us to get paranoid. That duty is

and should be compatible with joy and peace
that should characterize our life all the time.
The secret is to anchor this duty on the most
stable foundation, and that can only be God.
When this duty to be vigilant is inspired
only by some human criteria alone, like
our biases and preferences, our cultural,
sociological and ideological leanings, then
we have reason to fear that it will degenerate
into paranoia.
In that situation, we would be prone to get
distrustful, to make many rash judgments,
and other wild, disproportionate reactions.
We would even generate a lot of unnecessary heat in the environment around us. We
can get into a freefall of all offenses against
charity.
We need to bank on God always, on His
ever wise, omnipotent and merciful providence. That way, we would be guided by
firm but flexible, clear but highly nuanced
criteria. We most likely would get a proper,
or at least fair understanding of people,
things and events, and would behave ac-

cordingly.
For this to be effective, we need to pray,
study the word of God, the doctrine of our
faith, the history of the Church that can give
us a good idea of how God intervenes in
the twists and turns of the way we use our
freedom individually and collectively.
The insights and lessons we can get from
these exercises would calm us down, would
reassure us that everything wILL just be all
right even if we have to experience momentary pains and defeats. They can readily motivate us to move on, to get along. They help
us avoid getting too scandalized by things
as to get stuck with the problems.
Again, for us to be both vigilant and
calm, we need to develop relevant virtues
like prudence, discretion, temperance, tact,
patience, optimism, and I would say, also
humor. Yes, humor!
While we have to be serious in life, we
should neither fall into getting too serious.
Humor, as they say, is the best medicine for
worries. It puts us in a better condition to face
Candidly Speaking / A7

Opinion

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc in Altum
THE official theme song of the Apostolic
Visit of Pope Francis on January 15 to 19,
2015 was already announced. It is entitled
We Are All Gods Children, written and
sung by singer-composer Jamie Rivera
with the Hail Mary the Queen Childrens
Choir. Music is composed and arranged
by Noel Espenida and choreographed by
Landa Juan; action performed by Ligaya
Ng Panginoon Community Youth. Both
the lyrics and the music are heart-rending,
and I would like to invite you to watch it
at the office website of the Popes visit at
http://papalvisit.ph/.
***
His Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle announced the schedule of the Second
Philippine Conference on New Evangelization (PCNE II) on January 15 to 17, 2015 at
the Quadricentennial Pavillion of the University of Santo Toms, Espaa Boulevard.,
Sampaloc, Manila. The theme Blessed are
you focuses on the blessedness that Jesus offers for our individual and communal
transformation and mission. In relation
to 2014 as the Year of the Laity and 2015
as the Year of the Poor, PCNE II aims to

deepen our appreciation of the beatitudes

in relation to our struggles with inequality
and poverty. There is no confirmation yet
whether His Holiness will grace the event.
This columnist is very optimistic that Pope
Francis will drop by at the PCNE II during
his visit because during the first PCNE held
October last year, Pope Francis delivered
a message to the delegates through video.
***
It is indeed a blessing to the Philippines
that Pope Paul VI, the first Pope who visited our country, was beatified last week
by Pope Francis. Likewise, St. John Paul
II, the second Pope who twice visited our
beautiful land, was canonized last April
27, 2014 and whose feast we celebrated
last October 22.
***
The San Nicolas Sub-parish of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Diocese
of Pasig will hold the Parade of Saints on
October 29 at 5p.m. where children will
wear the costume of saints, instead of the
witch, devil, ghosts and other trick or
treat costumes during Halloween.
***

Whatever

True.
Thats it! Father James
snapped his fingers.
What, Father?
Why not tweak the fundraising so that it will emphasize
more on the intention for giving
something for the Popes visit?
Huh?
We could even call it, Puso
Bago Piso!
I dont understand, Father,
Julian said.
Its easy for anyone to just
drop in a coin or two for any
given fund-raising, right?
Yup, so what are you trying
to say, Father?
Well, why not put a deeper
incentive to the material donation?
Like what?
Before they can put in any
amount or PISO in the donation box, they should first offer
their heart or PUSO, in doing
something good.
Wow! Thats something cool
and original, Father, Julian
face brimmed with excitement.
Its only an idea, but I believe that this can somehow
modify how people give donations or help. They dont only

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope
WHEN I first met Nanay Gloria at the Lisbon International Airport, I must confess
shamefacedly that I wasnt so sure if it was
a good idea for her to join the Marian Pilgrimage. I suspect I was not alone. After all,
she was on a wheelchair and at 85 years she
would have to do much walking through
cobblestones, elevated places, and even
dirt roads. She would also have to wake
up early and keep up with the physicallydemanding pace of the pilgrimage. And
she looked frail.
How wrong we were.
Soon the grit and quiet determination of
this lady of four score and five years became
apparent. Nanay not only joined and finished
all the walks, she did it with style and aplomb,
always dressed for the occasion, betraying
her background as a seamstress. She never
complained and always greeted people with
a soft, gentle voice. It was a prayer experience
for her. She was an inspiration.
The biggest hurdle for all the pilgrims
was climbing up a 120-meter high hill in
Medjugorje. The path was a stony incline,
with granite rocks defining the way, many
with erstwhile jagged edges made smooth
by the millions of pilgrims who had made
the climb. Going up would have been demanding enough. Going down would have
been even harder.
I think the Lord already appreciates the
mere desire to make the climb, Lola, I said,
hinting at my wish for her to just remain
at the foot of the hill. Another pilgrim was
more forthright. Remain here Nanay, he
said. He was quickly rebuffed by Gloria.
There was no stopping her.
So, with her daughter Pilar at her side, at
times behind her, Nanay made her way up.
And down. Amidst the pockets of pilgrims,
mostly from Italy, our group stopped
by each of the five stations of the Joyful
Mysteries. Between the second and third
stood a cross that marks the alleged site of
apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On
top of the hill is the statue of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace.

The clergy of the Diocese of Kalookan

will hold the LaYKo si Pads Concert
on November 14, 2014, Friday, 7:00 p.m.
at PICC Plenary Hall, CCP Complex,
Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. The proceeds will finance the health care of its
clergy. The concert is also the clergys
tribute to the laity, in the Year of the
Laity, who unceasingly and devotedly
serving the Church. Tickets are available
in all parishes and schools of the Diocese, and Curia office at phone number
(02) 288-9035.
***
I wish our brother Roberto Santiago
and grandnephew C2 Rosales Castro, son
of our niece, Mary Gretchen Rosales, and
Charlie Castro, a very Happy Birthday.
Belated Happy Birthday to Dr. Jojo Robles
of Hello Father 911, Saturday edition
and Joseph Jesalva, Assistant Executive
Director of Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas. Same birthday greetings go to Fr.
Salvador Curutchet, IVE and Fr. Ildefonso
De Guzman,Jr. and Happy Sacerdotal
Anniversary to Fr. Syl Mutia, all from the
Diocese of Kalookan.

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

P.B.P.
IM so excited with the Popes
visit next year, Father! Julian
said.
Who isnt? Father James
remarked.
But Im wondering what
I can do in such a short visit
besides praying, offering sacrifices for him and helping others
to prepare likewise?
What about some sort of
a fund campaign, the priest
suggested.
Fund campaign? But I dont
think students can really raise
much since his visit is just
around the corner and.
Look, that really doesnt
matter, the priest reminded
him. Whats more important
is why youre raising funds.
and with exams coming
up soon and other projects,
I dont think we have either
time or resources to do something, Julian continued.
Why so pessimistic? Father
James asked.
Im only being realistic,
Father, he explained.
Okay, but lets just say you
wont raise so much, but at least
the intention behind it is more
important.

We Are All Gods Children

give something material, but

whatever they offer starts from
their hearts with some good
deed or sacrifice.
Can you give me more
examples, Father, Julian was
eager asked.
For example, before dropping a PISO, one can first
strive to be more attentive in a
particularly boring class. This
is done by taking down notes
well, listening and of course,
trying not to doze off.
Ha, ha, ha! That sounds
pretty much like me, Julian
said.
It was just an example,
Julian, Father James winked
at him.
What if it isnt so material like study or work, Julian
clarified.
The same applies. Say
Smiling at or being cordial to
someone we may find difficult to deal with. Offering our
services over seeking our own
comfort, and so on.
But what if someone puts
in money without previously
offering some good deed, Father?
Thats pretty much between

the person and God. Theres no

way of knowing what good he
has offered. But Im sure that
this scheme will already make
many of your classmates and
colleagues to first consider offering their hearts before giving
any donation.
That is so true, Julian
agreed.
Any other questions?
Oh, what about those who
may not even have anything to
give, Father?
Thats a good question, I
really didnt think about that!
Wait! Julian said.
What?
I think Ive got it. I just remembered the poor widow in
the Gospel who gave even that
which she needed. I guess shes
an example of people who give
PUSO and PUSO.
Thats a very original way
of looking at it, Father James
admired the boys answer.
So, Father, can you be the
first one to give something?
Of course, but you have to
wait till I find something to put
my heart into first!
Lets do it, Father! Julian
gave him a high-five.

Pilgrims Progress

***
Peace is elusive in our world. And so
it was during the time of the beginnings
of the three Marian pilgrims sites that we
visited.
A decade or so before the apparition at
Lourdes in 1858, Europe was devastated
by revolutionary upheavals. Opposition to
religion was on the rise as society became
more secularized. Nationalistic and socialistic fervor was taking the upper-hand.
Enforced separation of Church and State,
translated into Church properties being
confiscated by secularized government,
was felt. For a period of time after the apparitions, Church land in Lourdes was in
the hands of government.
The 1917 Fatima apparitions occurred
during World War 1. The 20th century had
been ushered in with unbridled optimism.
Progress was thought to be inevitable
with modern technology. Religion was a
vestige of the past to be replaced as such
with enlightened human reason. The Great
War broke the illusions. Then the Virgin
appeared.
The Medjugorje apparition began in 1981
and, a decade later, the republics in the former Yugoslavia were embroiled in a civil
war lasting until 1995. The authenticity of
the alleged visions, which continues more
than 30 years later, is still to be established
even as the message of the Queen of Peace
resounds in the hearts of many pilgrims.
The Blessed Mother lives out heaven
doing good on earth, if I be permitted
to adopt the Little Flower s insight. The
recurring patterns of the message of apparitions consist of prayer, repentance,
sacrifice, the Eucharist and sacraments,
etc. Its a call to return to the Lord. While
human means should be exhausted to
bring about and end to the Ebola menace,
the ISIL scourge, and the plight of the
countless human beings mired in poverty,
the spiritual messages of Our Lady call
for alert and responsive hearing among
the faithful.

***
The weather forecast had not been
promising. It will be raining most of the
time, so bring your umbrella and poncho,
Xenia, the pilgrim organizer, emailed us a
few days before the journey. The pilgrims
complied.
Strangely, it rained only on the last day,
preventing us from making an ascent on
Krizevac, an 480-meter cross mountain.
The climb was not meant to be.
I n t r u t h , h o w e v e r, m y p i l g r i m companions all had something to
surmount, from written petitions from
friends and loved ones, apart from
their personal needs. Silvia, our Croatian guide, had her luggage misplaced
in Rome. One pilgrim bore her husband, now seven years bed-ridden, in
her heart. A couple even had a specific
Marian mission to discern and to seek
validation.
One trip required us to be on the
road by 2 in the morning. This proved
to be too much for the pilgrims. Emotions were stretched. Only the grace of
the Holy Spirit and the prayers of the
Blessed Virgin Mary averted what might
have been a divided pilgrim group, even
transforming us into a more loving and
more joyful company.
I had began the pilgrimage wanting
to go to confession prior to taking the
plane. I also needed to catch up on some
readings related to a Marian entrustment
ceremony built into the pilgrimage. Both
these desires were fulfilled. I unexpectedly met Fr. Felix from Palo at the Mactan
airport and finished my readings in the
plane.
In 1983, I had the opportunity to interview Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she
visited Cebu. I was not a seminarian then.
She ended our conversations by praying,
Let us ask our Virgin Mary to give us her
heart...be Mother to him (me) as you are
Mother of Jesus...
I think Im making progress.

A5
Rev. Eutiquio Euly B. Belizar, Jr., SThD

By the Roadside
Challenge to Yolanda
survivors one year after:
the courage to hope
IN Catholic teaching courage or fortitude and hope are two
virtues in different categories. [To the uninitiated let me put
it this way: Virtue is any act or disposition to the good. In a
sense, we show or attain goodness in no other way than by
practicing virtues.] Courage is a moral, (i.e., acquired through
human effort in view of a good life) cardinal (plays a crucial or
pivotal role) virtue, which enables the human person to deal
with difficulties, trials and sacrifices as he pursues the good.
On the other hand, hope is a theological (i.e. infused or gifted
by God into the human person) virtue and is further so-called
because it disposes him or her to a direct relationship with
God, One and Triune (the Blessed Trinity, that is).
In particular, hope enables anyone to desire as his or her
happiness the Kingdom of heaven or eternal life, something
we pray for on behalf of the deceased victims of Yolanda. As
for the survivors of the super typhoon, hope enables them
to not give in to discouragement in the face of continuing
deprivations and tremendous suffering they go through even
to this day, and to see in whatever consolation or experience
of happiness life affords them the bridge to the Kingdom and
eternal bliss.
In a word, I have just opened up what might be to some a
ho-hum subject. Isnt that one of the supreme ironies of life?
What some consider ho-hum may actually be sine-qua-non
(or something we cant live without). For, what reasonable
human being can make do without the virtues and be, at the
same time, still reasonable and human?
Of course, even for the living victims of Yolanda the kingdom of God and eternal life, which is one and the same, forms
hopes ultimate goal, however un-reflected or unsaid. Realistically, though, they still have to face the daily tasks of surviving.
Which means that for the here and now, hopes objective is
more immediate and mundane: a decent life, a fuller recovery
in the sense of being more responsive to human dignity.
I submit that we, victims of Yolanda, must have the courage to hope for the following things. (It goes without saying
that both prayer and action are indispensable components of
this program.)
One, the grace to continually desire, plead and pledge to
work for integral recovery: physical, psychological, spiritual,
economic, political, social and cultural. We do not recover
when we continue to live in tents or sub-human shelters.
Nor do we recover when are being made pawns of political
rivalries and infightings. Neither do we recover when we are
forced by our traumatic post-calamity impoverishment to sell
our bodies or deeply cherished values to gambling, human
trafficking or prostitution. Nor do we recover when a foreign
belief, practice or culture or set of values is imposed upon us
as a condition for receiving aid (i.e., contraception or continuing want? be Born-again or be bum again?
Two, the grace to dream big, to be content only with the
maximum and not to settle for the minimum. For what is the
use of life for a bird if it cannot fly? What is the meaning of
help or aid when it does not lead the victims to the realization
of their dignity? Let me speak mostly, but not exclusively for
Eastern Samar about how Yolanda destroyed not only our
landscape, but also the capacity to dream big. Several weeks
and months after the devastation priests made a disturbing observation that in calamity-ridden areas, that is, in some towns
at the center and mainly in the south, the surfeit in relief goods
led to a rise in gambling and indisposition to manual labor.
Presently, the local bishop and clergy have their hands full
when it comes to reminding Yolanda victims of their obligation to stand on their own feet: that is, to go back to planting
wherever possible, to fishing with a better motivation, including better fishing nets from kindly donors, to be equipped
with more and (again) better income-generating livelihood
programs (here we must acknowledge and thank the invaluable assistance of local and foreign groups, NGOs as well as
LGUs, but also remind them that quantity and quality must
inseparably be present in these programs). There was one
egregious example of how foreign presence made local politicians look bad for being content with the minimum. While
local politicians sponsored sub-standard bunkers, foreign aid
groups decried their failure to pass international standards. It
was sad that it took foreigners to wake our leaders and people
up to dreaming big for ourselves. Or is serving the human
dignity of our people too big?
Three, the GRACE TO NOT UNLEARN the lessons of
Yolanda. For PAG-ASA and other pertinent government
agencies, their zeal to inform and educate the people on the
many different facets of the natural calamities we face time
and again should also be paired with more culturally friendly
and understandable methods and language. The curse of the
phrase storm surge is now deeply ingrained in our peoples
collective consciousness. But our government agencies should
not scoff at the deadly mistake they had made. To them our
word is: Simplify your methods and language in the matter
of informing or educating our people regarding disasters or
such other matters that involve life and limb. The greater
charge, however, lies with continually reminding our people,
our short memories being the constant blight in our horizons,
that knowing and obeying instructions and warnings from
right sources could mean the difference between life or death.
Four, the grace of experiencing community.
Disasters by nature, breed isolation and a sense of alienation
from other people and nature, especially when they also result
in deaths within families. It is remarkable, for example, how
after Yolanda, victims walked like zombies looking for other
members of their families, extensions of themselves. Or how
victims stole from one another or from department stores
and malls with little regard for shame or manners. And yet
in places where there was a sense of community victims even
helped other victims and recognized their common plight as
an invitation, not only to struggle for self- or family-survival,
but also for common survival and recovery. Wherever priests
exercised pastoral leadership, it became also clear how victims
were able to go beyond their own tragic situations to share
goods with and care for other victims.
Finally, the grace of a deeper spirituality. To say that every
disaster, including super typhoon Yolanda, is a test, a trial is a
clich. But that is no less true than saying that every disaster
spells tragedy. Disaster becomes tragedy when we do not do
well in our response to it as a test. As Catholic Christians, we
have an immense spiritual heritage at our disposal, the saint
after whom our Filipino Everyman is named, John of the
Cross (Juan de la Cruz), being our foremost mentor. Pardon
me, but I think Yolanda was a physical manifestation of what
San Juan de la Cruz calls the dark night of the soul. And the
noteworthy thing is that our own poor, the very people who
By the Roadside / A7

Local News

A6

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Most prisoners not convicted CBCP agency

MOST the countrys prisoners have been locked inside
overcrowded facilities for years
without conviction due to the
slow justice system, according to
a church prison ministry report.
The CBCP Episcopal Commission for Prison Pastoral Care
(ECPPC) said only 35 percent of the
114,368 inmates under the Bureau
of Jail Management and Penology
(BJMP) and the Bureau of Correction (BuCor) were actually found
guilty of crimes and are serving
their sentences and the remaining
65 percent are only charged but
have never been convicted.
They are detained because
their alleged crimes are not bailable or they cant afford to pay
the bail, said Rodolfo Diamante, ECPPC executive secretary.
Sub-human conditions
Diamante reiterated that the
slow judicial process for jail inmates remains a major challenge
which, in turn, results in prisons
congestion. He also said that
the grossly deficient facilities
in national prisons and various
jails further give rise to subhuman living and conditions
of prisoners.
This is aggravated by insufficient budget for the basic needs
of the prisoners, he said.

Reports reaching the ECPPC

also revealed that there are
incidents where the exercise of
authority is abused to the extent
of degrading the dignity of prisoners and detainees, such as maltreatment, sexual harassment,
extortion, and other inhumane
treatment.
They also cited the struggle
for supremacy in prison which
often results in inmates exploiting or abusing other inmates and
detainees for personal gains and
exacerbating the problems, particularly in the use of prison labor.
Diamante also lamented the
inadequate provisions for the
protection of youth offenders,
women offenders, elderly, the
mentally challenged and political prisoners.
The objective of transforming
the correctional process into an
educating and humanizing experience for offenders has been
dampened by the insufficient
provision of the inmates basic
needs, he said.
Rejoining society
The study was released this
week as the Church observes the
yearly Prison Awareness Week.
According to Diamante, also
part of the problem is a justice
system that is still based on

As of March 2014, there are 114,368 inmates under the Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Correction (BuCor). File photo

punitive measures and a society

where many view punishment as
the best method of control.
He said that institutional imprisonment is not meant only
to punish the offender but also
to correct and to prepare them
to rejoin society after serving
sentence.
Correction as part of the
criminal justice system is both
complex and crucial. It is essential to the maintenance of peace
and order in society and of the
human dignity of its straying
members. Unfortunately, correction is least seen and known by

the public, said Diamante.

Society is eager to recognize
the duty of the state to punish
the offender, but reluctant to see
its equally important role to correct the offender, little realizing
that injustice and other societal
factors contribute to the making
of an offender, he said.
In the Philippines, there are
three levels in the institutional
approach to correction. The first
consists of the national penitentiaries under the BuCor of the
Department of Justice (DOJ) for
offenders sentenced to more than
three years of imprisonment.

Prison system
Diamante said the second
level is composed of the provincial jails under the office of the
governor and city and district
jails under the BJMP of the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) for offenders whose sentences are from
seven months to three years.
At the third level, he added,
are the municipal jails under the
BJMP, for offenders sentenced
to not more than six months of
imprisonment.
There are currently seven
penitentiaries strategically located all over the Philippines
under the administrative control and supervision of the BuCor two of them are in Metro
Manila, two in Luzon, one is
in the Visayas, and two are in
Mindanao.
The ECPPC study showed that
as of April 2014, these penitentiaries had a total of 39,127 inmates.
More than half of them or 22,826
inmates are at the New Bilibid
Prison in Muntinlupa City.
The agency said these Bilibid inmates are distributed in
three different compounds
maximum security (14, 541);
Camp Sampaguita, inclusive of
Medium Security Compound,
Reception and Diagnostic Cen-

ter, Metro Jail and Youth Rehabilitation Center (7,926); and the
Minimum Security Compound
(359).
The other penal institution
within Metro Manila is the Correctional Institute for Women
in Mandaluyong City and in
Tagum, with a population of
2,235 inmates, it said.
The other penitentiaries include the Sablayan Prison and
Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro which has 2,067 inmates; the
Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in
Palawan with 2,409; the Leyte
Regional Prison in Abuyog,
Leyte with 1,586 prisoners; the
San Ramon Prison and Penal
Farm in Zamboanga with 1,547;
and the Davao Prison and Penal
Farm in Davao del Norte with
6,457 inmates.
The ECPPC also said that there
are 81 provincial jails, 143 city
jails and 1,491 municipal jails in
the country, with approximately
75,241 prisoners.
In addition to the traditional
levels of criminal and judicial
institutions, there are also military stockades under the Armed
Forces of the Philippines, detention centersat the National
Bureau of Investigation, Bureau
of Immigration and Philippine
National Police. (CBCPNews)

Call to African missions Bishop to govt: Remember Mindanaos IPs

continues priest
DESPITE and precisely because of the
Ebola virus claiming lives in Africa, a
priest says the invitation to say yes to
the African missions continues.
Ebola is affecting the poorest people
and the poorest continent. This is why
there is a call for the mission to be present in Africa: to collaborate with the
government, to work on the formation
of the people and to aid the families
affected by the disease, Fr. Miguel
Llamanzares, delegation superior of
the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart
of Jesus (MCCJ) in Asia said.
According to him, these trying times
of the epidemic in Africa is the best
time to go on mission to the continent.
Its the time to be present. Those
who are there have chosen to stay and
help as much as they can, Llamanzares
said, encouraging fellow missionaries
to follow suit.
Although the African countries
where the Comboni missionaries are
present are still considered Ebola-free,

Llamanzares said a Comboni sister

was among those who died during
the earlier outbreak of Ebola virus in
Uganda.
Llamanzares urged the Catholic community to pray for missionary work to
flourish in Africa and for support for
their apostolate.
This World Mission Sunday, we are
invited to support the missionaries in
Africa by praying for them and for supporting them financially. Controlling
Ebola and treating the disease is taking
a great toll financially among those affected, he added.
The founder of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, St. Daniel
Comboni was known for pioneering
evangelization work in Central Africa.
He organized religious men and women
and brought them to the continent for
missionary work. Famous for saying
Either Africa or death, Comboni died
while on mission in Sudan in October
10, 1881. (CBCPNews)

Overstaying OFWs due to joblessness

in PHpriest
MANILA, Oct. 27, 2014 Poverty
and the lack of opportunities at home
explain why Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) opt to leave their families
behind, staying overseas for as long as
they have money to earn and send to
their spouses and children, says a priest.
In an interview over Church-run Radyo
Veritas, Fr. Resty Ogsimer, Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People
(EMI) of the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) executive secretary, lamented that while most of them
struggle with homesickness, the uncertainty of life in the Philippines keep OFWs
from taking the next flight out.
OFWs often have to choose between
starving to death in the Philippines
because theyre jobless here or fighting
for something that has more promise
elsewhere, he explained.
This is the common dilemma our
migrant workers often find themselves
in, especially those who really have no
source of income here, Ogsimer added.
Meanwhile, in a speech he delivered
at the Vatican on Oct. 16, LingayenDagupan Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas asserted many who have sought

employment abroad have done so, feeling they do not get what they deserve
in the Philippines.
In the Filipino psyche is a romanticized notion of the West as the land of
opportunity accompanied by a deprecatory assessment of the Philippine situation, the CBCP head said.
According to him, the unprincipled
aggressive recruitment policies of
Western corporations and business establishments, eager for cheap labor lure
Filipinos with dreams of quick, though
unrealistic, prosperity.
Talk to any OFW and you will be
impressed at the grasp he or she has
of terms relating to placement fees,
payment schemes, salaries, benefits,
wages, privilegesall these, obviously
the result of sweetened deals packaged
so as to attract cheap Filipino labor to
countries where a successful birth-control program has a very thin younger
sector to take care of an increasingly
aging population! Villegas added.
The head of the CBCP said the increase of Filipino nurses is an example
of a trend gone wrong. (Raymond A,
Sebastin)

Healthcare / A1

their faith.
Today, courage is needed to bear
witness courageously to the Gospel of
life, Mupendawatu said.
This is a task of the new evangelization that often requires going against the
tide and paying for it personally. The
Lord is also counting on you to spread
the gospel of life, he said.
The bishop made his remarks during
an address to the Congress of the World
Federation of Catholic Medical Associations held in Manila last Oct. 1.
Taking cue from Pope Francis, Mupendawatu emphasized that moral
courage is necessary because being a
Catholic doctor in an era of secularization and technology, can truly be an
uphill struggle.
According to him, some interpret the
relationship of a physician and a patient
as a legal contract instead of a moral
covenant, others prefer to think of it as
a commodity transaction or an exercise
in applied biology.
He said that abortions are becoming
legal in many countries, confidentiality
can be violated in certain circumstances,

patient autonomy overrides the physicians autonomy, physician self-interest

is exploited to limit costs in managed
health systems, while others defend
assisted suicide, as well as direct and
indirect euthanasia.
Most significant in all this is the
challenge to the ideal of a profession
as a group in society dedicated to a
special way of life a life of service in
which self-interest yields to altruism. To
practice medicine was tantamount to a
vocation in the religious sense, he said.
There is a growing tendency to
look at the medical profession as any
other occupation. Medicine as a career
(means of livelihood, prestige, power,
and advancement) was secondary to
medicine as a calling and a vocation,
Mupendawatu added.
The prelate also cited the ongoing
cultural war between the culture of
life and the culture of death where almost every principle of the traditional
ethical standard is being questioned.
It is a challenge but at the same time
it is an occasion, a call to witness, said
Mupendawatu. (CBCPNews)

AS debates over the planned

Bangsamoro entity continue, a highranking member of the local Church
hierarchy reminds lawmakers not to
forget the indigenous peoples (IPs)
of Mindanao.
While Tabuk Apostolic Vicar Prudencio P. Andaya lauds government
efforts at restoring peace in Southern
Philippines, he appeals to Congress to
hear the side of the IPs whose lives will
be affected once the Bangsamoro is set
in place.
We are for peace. We recognize the
peace efforts of the government and
MILF. However, we are calling our legislators to include in the consultations
the real participation of IP groups the
Teduray, Lambanginan and Dulangan
Manobo communities in the proposed
Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that is
being deliberated in both houses of
Congress, he said.
In a statement issued on Oct. 12Indigenous Peoples SundayAndaya
expresses hope that the end result of
the proposed law will include the indigenous peoples rights as distinct and

The Church celebrated Indigenous Peoples Sunday on Oct. 12, 2014. File photo

as enshrined in the Indigenous Peoples

Rights Act (IPRA) or Republic Act 8371.
The prelate, who also chairs the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP),
stresses that it should adhere to the
genuine peace agreement that does not

only recognize the rights of our Moro

brothers and sisters but the non-Moro
indigenous peoples as well.
Only through genuine consultations and constant dialogue with all
the stakeholders could we achieve the
peace that eludes us for so long, he
adds. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Sandiganbayan / A1

others, including Department of Social Welfare and

Development secretary Dinky Solman; Department
of Justice secretary Leila de
Lima; Department of Budget
and Management secretary
Butch Abad; and Department
of Finance secretary Cesar
Purisima and several other
senators have been implicated in serious wrong-doings,
but have always immediately
been cleared by Malacaang
without further investigation.
I n re l a t i o n t o J u s t i c e
Ongs dismissal, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz a
known critic of the Aquino
administration, expressed
sadness over the state of

the justice system in the

country.
The justice system in the
Philippines is sick and sickening. What do we mean by
that? For one thing, there are
so many cases that remained
unsolved, so many criminal
cases are filed and then they
are released, cases which
are very grievous like the
Maguindanao massacre of
58 people and 5 years later,
nothing has happened. That
is not only justice delayed
and justice denied, that is
injustice per se, he said.
Need for evidence
Cruz further explained
that case resolutions should
not be based on comple-

mentary evidence alone but

must also include suppletory evidence.
It is very seldom that one
item will resolve a case as
proof, [for] example, to be
photographed with somebody, to be photographed
with a criminal so ergo
youre a criminal; the photograph with the respondent is
just complementary evidence
if it is. So there must be
something more than just
being seen with somebody,
he said.
The Supreme Court voted 8 to 5 with 2 abstentions
declaring Sandiganbayan
Justice Gregory Ong guilty
of gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety.

Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te announced October 21st that

the court denied Justice
Ongs Motion for Reconsideration allegedly for
lack of merit making the
dismissal final.
Last July, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines issued a Pastoral Statement on selective
justice stating, Everybody
culpable, whatever their
political affiliations may be,
should be investigated and,
if so warranted, indicted.
When justice is selective, it
is not justice at all. (Paul de
Guzman)

Penalty / A1

ing human lives against the unjust

aggressor.
However, he pointed out that modern
advances in protecting society from
dangerous criminals mean that cases
in which the execution of the offender
is an absolute necessity are very rare, if
not practically nonexistent.
The pope added that there was a
misconception in the world today that
punishment can resolve all social problems as if different diseases could all be
cured by the same medicine.
These abuses can only be stopped
with the firm commitment of the International Community to recognize the
primacy of the principle pro homine,
namely, of the dignity of the human
person above everything, he said.
Inhuman concept
Following Pope Francis call for
an end to life imprisonment, the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines-Episcopal Commission
on Prison Pastoral Care agrees that
life term imprisonments should be
replaced by prison sentences with
indefinite terms.
Rodolfo Diamante, ECPPC executive
secretary, said life-long incarceration is
an inhuman concept and those sentenced to such terms should be eligible
for parole.
Indeed long sentences must be abolished and lets instead work for justice
that enhances, restores and respects
human dignity, Diamante said.

According to Diamante, the local

prison ministry has long been advocating for a justice system that transitions
from punitive to restorative principles.
Restorative justice
In restorative justice, Diamante said
the offenders are given opportunities
to repair the damage they have done
through various creative ways.
That has been our advocacyjustice
that moves beyond punishment. Justice
with mercy and compassion, he said.
The ECPPC also lauded Pope Francis
for reaffirming the call to abolish the
death penalty and life imprisonment,
arguing that such a stand is a defense
to the dignity of human life.
Taking away the life of someone,
whom we have condemned, immobilized and rendered helpless with contraptions of death is a horrible lesson
to teach our children, that human life
is as disposable as any contraptions
and trimmings of postmodern life, the
ECPPC said.
The ECPPC also said that the stance
against the death penalty is in no way
a posture to let criminal offenders
go scot-free, but it believes in justice
and it is ranked high in its hierarchy
of values.
Those who have transgressed the
laws of the land should be held answerable and accountable after a fair
trial; otherwise, they become effective
endorsers of crime and criminal actions,
and a strong parody for the ethical ad-

age that crime does not pay, it added.

In a message for Prison Awareness
Sunday on Oct. 26, the agency firmly
believes in the capacity of a person to
transform and reform his behavior,
especially with the help of society
which, in the first place, has much
to do in creating an environment for
the commission of crime, intended
or not.
Each crime committed has a social context and society as a whole,
for creating an environment vulnerable to the commission of crime, is
as guilty as its erring member, the
ECPPC said.
Rather than take away precious
human life, the Church wants to explore alternatives to mete out justice.
For one, it seriously considersand
vigorously advocatesa shift in the
paradigm of justice: from litigation
to mediation; prosecution to healing;
punishment to reform and rehabilitation: from the retributive to the restorative, it added.
For his part, ECPPC chairman Bishop
Leopoldo Tumulak urged the faithful to
love the least, the last and the lostthe
prisoners.
As we celebrate the 27th Prison
Awareness Week, the Church urges us
to look at the prisoners as our neighbors. We are challenge to show them
mercy and love them so that they may
become whole again. Let us pray that
we may say yes to this challenge,
Tumulak said.

Diocesan News

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Catholic school wants

coco plant closed

Divine Healer Academy of Sorsogon (DHAS) principal Thelma Engay; DHAS directress and Sister Servants of the Divine Healer superior Sr. Odelia B. Golloso; and Esteven Garcia, a
provincial agriculturist stare at Peter Paul Phil. Corp.s smoke emissions from El Retiro. Oliver Samson

SORSOGON CityA Catholic

school calls for the closure of
a coconut processing plant following over a year of hazardous
industrial smoke emissions
from the said plant, posing
health risks to the local community.
The plant began operation in
March last year, Sr. Odelia B.
Golloso, school directress and
superior of the Sister Servants of
the Divine Healer (SSDH) said.
We started to smell the foul
odor in April. By June we started
complaining.
Vomiting, headaches
According to her, students
and teachers have been experiencing headache, dry throat,
irritated eyes, gastric disturbance, and vomiting. At times,
the school, which has a population of over 340 kinder, primary
and secondary students and
more than 20 teachers, was
forced to suspend classes due to

the unbearable stench enveloping the campus.

According Thelma Engay, Divine Healer Academy of Sorsogon
principal, the Peter Paul Phil.
Corp has since then attempted to
bribe the school administrators
to weaken the local communitys
stance, but they refused.
The school seeks nothing less
than clean air, she said.
In a letter from the Peter
Paul Phil. Corp., dated Oct. 3,
Golloso was told the plants
bio mass boiler was designed
based on DENR standard and
in fact, our smoke stack is
higher than what the DENR
prescribes.
DENR standards
Despite this, students, teachers, school staff, nuns, and monks
continue to smell the foul odor of
the industrial smoke, she said.
We suffer almost half a year,
Engay noted.
Golloso mounts more pressure

on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

(DENR) to shut down the plant,
saying they are supposed to
protect the environment.
Until recently, DENR holds
that the operation of the plant
abides by its standards.
Esteven Garcia, a provincial
agriculturist, expressed apprehension over the hazardous
effects of possible carbon monoxide emissions from the plant.
His family, also living in Sea
Breeze, which is over a kilometer
from El Retiro and the populous
village in the city, complains of
a vinegar-like foul odor when
the wind blows towards their
direction, he said.
Nuns, monks more exposed
The school, located in a retreat
compound called El Retiro in
barangay Cabid-An, which is
separated from the plant only
by a concrete fence topped with
hog wire, is filled with an aw-

ful smell, particularly during

the period between June and
mid-October, when the plants
smoke is blown towards it,
Golloso said.
Aside from the smoke, the
students are also disturbed by a
rumbling noise that originates
from the plant, she added.
According to Golloso, the
nuns and monks who live in
the El Retiro compound, which
comprises the SSDH convent,
formation house, mother house,
and Poor Claire Monastery, are
more exposed to the stench
than the students, teachers, and
school staff.
El Retiro has become popular
among retreatants and families
who prefer get-togethers at the
compound because of its ambience until the plant damaged
that reputation, she said.
SSDH arrived in the area in
1986, Golloso said. The school
has been around since 2003.
(Oliver Samson)

And Thats The Truth / A4

Linda, an active parish worker, middleaged female, witnessed something that disillusioned her about their beloved parish
priest. Linda had been a cheerful volunteer,
helping out in so many ways in the parish
activities despite the lower class status.
For the priests birthday that year, she had
trained a group of women from the parishs
depressed areas to do a musical number with
which to serenade the priest.
At the appointed time their group got to

the church, excited in their costumes, complete with guitars and tambourines. Since
she had access to the convent she went in
while the group sat in the church, waiting to
perform for the birthday boy. The priest, apparently irritated, told her, I cant stay, Ill be
late for a meeting with the bishop. Tell them
Im already out. With a heavy heart, she did
as told; the group left crestfallen. Linda said,
All those hours practicing went to nothing.
These were poor women, it was the only

gift they could give to Father, but he had no

time for it. But it wasnt the end. Linda
discovered that very afternoon that Father
didnt have a meeting with the bishop, he
played tennis with his rich friends. And to
think he even made me tell a lie!
Now, dont get angry yet. Weve only just
begun. There are more stories to tell. Wait.
As Pope Francis likes to say, our God is a
God of surprises. Who knows what awaits
you in the end? (To be continued)

Ebola / A1

on Ebola. We are also encouraging hospitals to take part in this

drive, as well as other institutions. We are also involving
Catholic schools, he said.
The priest explained the killer
virus has to be taken seriously as
it continues to pose a real threat
to the health and lives of people
worldwide.
While the country is as yet

Ebola-free, Cancino stressed

tackling this problem requires
intense cooperation among various organizations to ensure the
virus will not to enter Philippine
territory.
The priest shared Catholic
hospitals are also gearing up
for the worst-case scenario
in the likelihood of an Ebola
invasion.

Cancino encourages parish

priests to include information
on the virus, with special focus
on preventive measures, in the
Holy Mass and in other church
activities.
Education is the best way to
prevent Ebola, he noted.
The Department of Health
(DOH) had earlier assured the
public government hospitals are

prepared for Ebola.

The United States Center for
Disease Control and Prevention
has predicted between 550,000
and 1.4 million individuals in
West Africa will have been affected by the virus by January
2015.
At least 2,210 people have
been confirmed dead due to
Ebola. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Veils / A1

of YouthPinoy (YP), a band of young online

missionaries committed to social media
evangelization, said.
Physical + spiritual
While its use is optional, she explained
the veil somehow prepared me to perceive
God in the Holy Mass as the center of my
attention and affections.
Delacruz is confident that todays Catholic
Filipinas will find enough reason to cover
their heads once they realize the beauty and
virtue of wearing veils.
Increasingly young people are going
back to this practice that they never knew
aboutobviously most of whom were born
after Vatican II, she said.
According to Delacruz, Bringing back
the veil is a move to recognize that the
physical is truly invested with the spiritual.

In short, what you do with your body,

how you act and dress can either prepare
you or hinder you to be closer to Jesus,
she added.
Wearing the veil, says YP president Sky
Ortigas, Allows me to unveil myself before
God, bringing my whole self in front of Him
and totally for Him.
Making a comeback
Delacruz also pointed out that in South
Korea, a country that has fewer Catholics
than the Philippines, the veil is commonly
used by both old and young.
So bringing the veil back in the Philippines is not something totally shocking, as
there seems to be a revival of this church tradition even among young Catholic women in
the United States, Delacruz added.
Anticipating criticisms from liberal

circles, Catholic and non-Catholic alike,

Delacruz stressed the argument whats
important is the heart is not really Catholic,
because it almost divorces the soul from
the body.
She admits skimpy clothes in churches are
uncalled-for but believes people, especially
young girls, only imitate what they see.
All this time they have only been bombarded by images of women in media who
probably believe that showing skin is empowering It is not! Delacruz explained.
Quoting St. John Paul IIs Theology of the
Body, Delacruz said, the body is the visible
part of the soul.
So I still say, lets do it, lets begin
because ultimately, the woman is called
to be an icon, a sign that points to God in
a unique way, she added. (Raymond A.
Sebastin)

Pork / A1

Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP)s Episcopal Commission
on Public Affairs, explained pork
barrel and similar lump-sum
funds foster what he called patronage politics in the country
which, in turn, breeds graft and
corruption.
Participating Metro Manila
churches include the National
Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Baclaran Redemptorist
Church), Santa Cruz Church in
Manila, the Minor Basilica of the
Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church),
and the Mabuting Pastol Parish
in Commonwealth, Quezon City.
The Apostolic Vicariate of

Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the

Dioceses of Sorsogon, Romblon,
Borongan, Kidapawan and San
Carlos; the Archdioceses of Tuguegarao and Cebu expressed
their support of the move.
Sign-ups were also held in
dioceses of the Iglesia Filipina
Independiente (Philippine Independent Church); the United
Church of Christ in the Philippines-South Luzon Jurisdiction;
and the Central United Methodist Church in Ermita, Manila.
Fatty 2015 budget
Let their stand be counted
and legislated through the con-

stitutional process of a Peoples

Initiative. Let the people do what
Congress will never do against
their own interests, the church
alliance stressed.
The group has also mobilized volunteers who conduct
educational fora in campuses,
churches, barangays, communities, and in small and large,
private groups.
Citing an Ibon Foundation
study, the alliance alleged that
the lump-sum discretionary
funds under the control of President Benigno S. Aquino III
(PNoy) are estimated to be P958
billion.

This includes budgetary

support to GOCCs [governmentowned and -controled corporations], P61.3 billion; assistance to
LGUs [local government units],
P33.1 billion; risk management
program, P30 billion; support
for infra projects and social
programs, P20 billion; unprogrammed funds, P123 billion;
miscellaneous personnel benefit
fund P118 billion; grassroots
participatory budgeting, P20.9
billion; and, Pamana program,
P7.3 billion, it shared, describing the 2015 national budget as
loaded with fatty Pork Barrel.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)

A7

Make nuke plant a tourist

spot, bishop suggests
BALANGA, BataanA Catholic
prelate maintains that reopening
the Bataan Nuclear Powerplant
(BNPP) is not the solution to the
problem of a looming energy
shortage and its mounting cost,
it should instead be converted
into a tourist spot.
Ta l k i n g t o C h u r c h - r u n
Radyo Veritas recently, Balanga Bishop Ruperto C. Santos
suggested transforming the
mothballed power plant and
the areas surrounding it into
an income-generating tourist
attraction.
The prelate stressed the power
plant, which critics of Martial
Law tagged a white elephant,
serves as an expensive lesson to
Filipinos.
It should not be repeated, and
everything in the future should
be studied well, not impulsively.
This is also educational, he
shared.
He explained BNPP reminds
people to always seek viable
alternatives in order to address
the energy crisis.
It is really a threat to the environmentto the bodies of water,
the air, and the land. The soil will
be poisoned, the water would be

contaminated, and the air will be

polluted, the prelate said.
According to Santos, the nuclear facilities put the environment and the lives of people
dependent on it at risk, recommending other alternative power
sources that are both safe and
eco-friendly.
I see nothing positive in the
Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, so
I dont believe rehabilitating it
is such a good thing, Santos
stressed.
Earlier, in a pastoral letter,
Santos said the Churchs position on the planned revival of
BNPP had been researched on
and discussed before a decision
was made.
The Diocese of Balanga is
against this [move]. And this
stand will not change, the
bishop pointed out.
Because life is so much more
valuable to us than profit or
money to be gained from cheap
electricity or for the selfish needs
of the bodyWe believe that
energy can be generated from
wind or from water (hydro) or
from the sun (solar) that can be
studied, tested or harnessed, he
added. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

ILIGAN City A Catholic prelate maintains that impure deeds

and thoughts are sinful.
While he confirmed sexual
activities between persons of the
same gender are wrong, Iligan
Bishop Elenito R. Galido pointed
out sexual relationships even
between a heterosexual male and
a heterosexual female are no less
immoral, if these take place outside the sacrament of matrimony.
In an interview over Churchrun Radyo Veritas, Galido clarified immorality is not the monopoly of a specific gender.
Anything perpetrated against
chastity and morality, he explained, whether the person
doing it is straight or gay, constitutes immorality.
That is a fundamental moral
law. Thats why we do not immediately judge based on ones
sexual orientation alone, the
prelate said.
Quoting Pope Francis, Galido
shared,Who am I to judge?
The bishop, however, said that
although the Argentine pontiff
may have a positive view of
homosexual persons, as opposed

to homosexual acts, the Churchs

teachings on same-sex marriage
remains unchanged.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC) is clear in this regard,
calling homosexual acts contrary
to the natural law (2357).
It continues, They close the
sexual act to the gift of life. They
do not proceed from a genuine
affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances
can they be approved.
CCC 2358 reads, Every sign
of unjust discrimination in their
regard should be avoided. These
persons are called to fulfill Gods
will in their lives and, if they
are Christians, to unite to the
sacrifice of the Lords Cross the
difficulties they may encounter
from their condition.
CCC2359 adds, Homosexual
persons are called to chastity. By
the virtues of self-mastery that
teach them inner freedom, at
times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and
sacramental grace, they can and
should gradually and resolutely
approach Christian perfection.
(Raymond A. Sebastin)

Unchastity wrong
regardless of gender
bishop

Rating / A1

The Church is doing things

that are not for recognition and
acceptance. We have a higher
purpose, which is to serve God
and His people, he added.
Based on the 3rd Philippine
Trust Index, the Church remains
the most trusted among the six
institutions surveyed with 75
percent of the general public and
66 percent of the informed public saying they trust the former
very much.
On the other hand, the poll
results show that government

has become the least trusted institution in the Philippines with

11 percent of the general public
and 7 percent of the informed
public.
Meanwhile, the CBCP official
also said the Church is always
ready to collaborate with the
government in serving for the
common good.
The Church has to fulfill
its mission of proclaiming the
Good News and also helping the
government That is a big challenge, Mejia said. (CBCPNews)

Candidly Speaking / A4

problems as they are. It serves to

control and dress up the primitive impulses of our instincts,
emotions and passions. It gives
us space
and distance so we can view
things FROM a better perspective. Its a good foil to our tendency to rub it in.
In that controversy emanating from the recently concluded
Synod of Bishops on the Family,
this kind of vigilance is most
relevant. In the midst of the
debate, lets hold our horses.
No need to be talking about
Anti-christ or that so and so is
a bad person. Or that his views
are rotten.
In a sense, we can and should
expect sharp discussion and
disagreements in any church

gathering. Past church councils

were neither freed from such
conflicts. But theres always a
way to resolve all this.
Just let everyone say his piece.
That way, sooner or later, we
can sort out which is right and
which is wrong, which is part of
our faith and morals and which
is already heretical.
The issues certainly have to
be resolved, but everything
ought to be done in charity, with
due respect accorded to every
person involved and to everyones views. Even in the worst
of scenarios, we should never
abandon charity.
Lets pray hard, and ask the
Lord for the grace to overcome
our tendency to be scandalized
and to live charity to the full.

By the Roadside / A5

are often the subject of pity and

compassion from outsiders and
watchers, ourselves included,
are not only open to the message
of the Crucified Christ but are
also its principal teachers. That
is, if we care to listen and humbly give them the podium for
a change. I remember asking a
seventy-something lady at their
tent kitchen in Hernani, Eastern
Samar, if she was not angry with
God that she lost relatives and

neighbors who were dragged by

Yolandas storm surges to death.
She said to me, Oh no, Father.
I believe the Lord loves them so
much that he called them home
to be with him and he loves us
in a different way. He let us live
so we could go on telling others
of His love. Or words to that
effect. What spirituality could
be deeper than that?
To me she is a mentor of courage and hope.

People, Facts & Places

A8

CBCP Monitor

Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Paulines end 3-year jubilee celebration

THE Daughters of St. Paul (FSP) concluded the three-year celebration marking its 75th year in the Philippines with
a mass officiated by Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Broderick Pabillo at the Queen of
Apostles Sanctuary in Pasay on Oct. 11.
The prelate related that his first exposure to Catholic literature was through
the Daughter of St. Paul when he was
in a primary school in Naga.
75-year journey
I was struck by that, Sr. Maria Rosario Agtarap, fsp.paulines.ph webmaster,
said. Its the beauty of Pauline mission.
You never knew who you became part
of.
Gathered about a hundred Daughters of St. Paul, including sisters from
the congregations communities in the
Philippines and overseas, and about the
same number of longtime benefactors,
friends, and well-wishers, the event also
recognized 75 people who helped and
partnered with the congregation during
its 75-year journey.
Since we were celebrating our 75th
year in the Philippines, we gave 75
plaques of appreciation to 75 people
who accompanied us in our mission in
the past 75 years, Agtarap said.
The sponsors who came from different
walks of life, including entrepreneurs, a

physician, a retired soldier, and teachers,

carry on the charitable tradition they
inherited from their forebears, she said.
A mass was also celebrated at the
Queen of Apostles Sanctuary on Oct.
8 in memory of departed collaborators
and sponsors who backed the apostolate
of the Daughters of St. Paul during the
last 75 years.
Part of the three-year celebration
was the distribution of 75,000 copies of
the Bible to poor families in depressed
areas across the country, said Sr. Lorena
Briones, Paulines Publishing House associate editor.
Bibles in Every Home
Known as Biblia sa Bawat Pamilya
(Bible in Every Home), it began in October 2011, she said.
The Bible-giving project did not
simply distribute copies, Agtarap said.
It was also accompanied by formative
talks and discussions between the sisters and the recipients.
Copies have reached poor communities from Tuguegarao in the north across
typhoon-devastated Visayan provinces
to Zamboanga in the south.
To some recipients who have less in
life, it was the first time they got hold of
the Bible and it was very moving on the
part of the sisters, as well as [for] those

75-year journey: Daughters of St. Paul in the Philippines carry the province flags before the Holy Mass at the Queen of Apostles Sanctuary in the congregations
community in Pasay on Oct. 11, 2014. Sr. Maria Rosario Agtarap

people, Agtarap said.

Recipients made a pledge that they
would read the Bible five to 10 minutes
as a family, everyday, she said.
Other activities during the three-year
celebration included Biblical animation;
a reach-out project for street-children,
women inmates and young offenders;

catechism; and workshops for the development of lay collaborators.

The Daughters of St. Paul was founded in Italy in 1915 by Blessed James
Alberione, an Italian Catholic priest.
In 1938, the congregation was founded in the country by Italian sisters.
Today, the Philippines province cov-

CBCP-NASSA holds orientation on

modern-day slavery
IN line with the Churchs mission of raising awareness on
human trafficking, community justice, peace and human
rights network partners, and
youth ministries, attend an
Orientation on Human Trafficking on Oct. 27, Monday,
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m at OZ
AVR, Adamson University,
Manila.
Through this activity, we
wish to widen the awareness on the issue of Human

Trafficking and involve more

youth in helping to prevent
and become ready to involve
themselves in fighting the
violation to human dignity
in their schools and neighborhood, said Cceres Archbishop Rolando Tra Tirona,
national director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP)s National Secretariat for Social
Action (NASSA).
According to Tirona, hu-

man trafficking is a modern

form of slavery which forces
victims into prostitution, involuntary servitude, unpaid
labor, debt bondage, the illicit
sale and harvesting of organs,
and pornography.
Most vulnerable are women and children, and those
who are poor, ignorant and
desperate enough to take risk
to feed their families. As such,
our Holy Father, Pope Francis
has put it in the global spot-

light, the prelate laments.

Quoting Pope Francis, Tirona shared, Human Trafficking is a crime against humanity, a disgrace to our society
which calls itself civilized.
The Global Slavery Index
o f 2 0 1 3 re v e a l s b e t w e e n
140,000 and 160,000 Filipinos have been reduced
to slavery, while 60,000 to
100,000 children are sexually exploited.(Raymond A.
Sebastin)

Kids dress up for UN Day All Saints Day event

TALK about a reason to dress up. Kids on
Oct. 24 came up with their best Biblical
costumes for a 2-in-1 event, which was
a group of homeschoolers version of a
combined U.N. Day and All Saints Day
celebration.
Called A Date with Jesus, Mary and
the Saints, the event, which was organized by Catholic Filipino Academy, a
homeschooling program started by inspirational speaker Bo Sanchez, also included
an exhibit featuring saints of the different
continents. The event was also done to
honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, October
being the month of the Holy Rosary.
How many parents would want their
children to become a saint among the
blessed in heaven? Well, I do. Now, I can
breathe easy again. I am so glad that I am
not alone in this quest for sainthood,
said Ciara Carranza, one of the parents
who brought her child to be part of the
event.
According to her, the almost hundredstrong kids and their parents who participated in the event personally showed her
that many parents still share the aspiration for their children to be holy.
Kicking off at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cubao at 8:30 a.m. with
a Living Rosary, the kids came in their
best Biblical/saint-inspired costumes
as Elijah the Prophet, complete with a
chariot, St. Michael the Archangel, as
well as St. Therese of Lisieux, Our Lady
of Guadalupe, and San Juan Diego,
among others.
To emphasize the universal importance

ers houses in Malaysia, Thailand, and

Papua New Guinea.
The province currently has 200 sisters who harness books, audio/videos,
radio, TV, the internet and other media
of communication to carry out the congregations apostolate to evangelize.
(Oliver Samson)

Free Marian consecration event set in Cubao

MARIAN organizations, communities, movements, groups, and individuals, both lay and religious, are
invited to take part in the upcoming
formation on Living Our Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary on Nov. 8 at the Diocese of
Cubaos Chancery Building.
To be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m., The New Era: Glorious Reign
of Christ The King seminar will be
facilitated by Fr. Romerico Omer
Prieto at the 3rd Floor of Diocese of
Cubaos Chancery Building, Lantana
Street, Cubao, Quezon City, across the
Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
Participants intending to come in
groups are requested to inform event
organizers before Nov. 3 in order to
help them determine the exact number of materials needed.
Besides being a member of the
Cubao dioceses pastoral team and
the parish priest of the Holy Family

Parish, Prieto is committed to guiding

various Marian groups in the Philippines in living their Consecration to
the Immaculate Heart of Mary by
holding regular formation for the religious and lay faithful, and cenacles.
He also does mission work for the
Blessed Virgin overseas, giving Marian talks and retreats to both priests
and the laity upon the invitation of
various lay groups and bishops of the
dioceses in the region.
Prieto regularly facilitates a weekly
cenacle on radio through his program
entitled Yes, Father, aired every
Thursday at 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on
DWAD 1098.
The priest is also heard over
Church-run Radyo Veritas 648 as a
regular guest of the program Alay
Kay Inang Maria (An Offering to
Our Mother Mary) every second
Wednesday of the month, at 7 p.m.
to 8 p.m. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Markings
Installed. Bishop Florentino Lavarias, 57, was officially installed
as the fourth archbishop of San Fernando in the citys metropolitan
cathedral on Oct. 27. Last July 25, Pope Francis appointed Lavarias,
who had been the bishop of the diocese in Iba, Zambales, to head
the Pampanga archdiocese with about 3.3 million Catholics. He
will succeed Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, now 77 years old, who
is stepping down after reaching the mandatory retirement age of
75. Lavarias was born in Barangay Sta. Ines, Mabalacat town, also
in the Pampanga province. He was ordained a priest on Sept. 26,
1985. In August 2004, he was ordained to the episcopacy, or just
around a month after Saint John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Iba. Lavarias also chaired
the Commission on Vocations and most recently, the Commission on Clergy.
Over a hundred kids, parents, extended family members and friends were part of the A Date with Jesus, Mary
and the Saints, a U.N. Day/All Saints Day celebration on Oct. 24, 2014. Organized by the Catholic Filipino
Academy, a Catholic homeschooling program founded by Bo Sanchez, the event was held at the Immaculate
Conception Cathedral. Ciara Carranza

of honoring Mary and the saints, the

prayers of the Rosary were recited in different languages, namely, Swahili, Filipino,
Spanish, Bahasa Indonesia, and Latin.
The exhibit, which was set up at the
Obispado de Cubao, also presented depictions of the Blessed Virgins apparitions,
different images of Our Lady, and the saints
by continent, lending a religious twist to the
multi-cultural appeal of U.N. Day.
The children and their parents took a
gastronomical tour around the world

during snack ttime with food items from

the different continents. Each grade
level was assigned to bring dishes or
finger food from a particular continent,
giving the event an even more international feel.
A film showing about the saints followed, after which the participating
children were given Blessed Treats, a
holier version of the mainstream Trick
or Treat goodies usually associated with
Halloween. (Nirvaana Ella Delacruz)

Appointed. Pope Francis has appointed Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez as the
new Bishop of the Prelature of Infanta in Quezon province. The appointment was announced
at 12 noon in Rome (7pm, Manila time) on Monday, Oct. 27. Cortez will succeed Archbishop
Rolando Tria Tirona as the fourth bishop of Infanta. The diocese was left vacant since November 2012, when then Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona was named Archbishop of Nueva Caceres.
The 65-year old prelate was a former a priest of the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna where
he was ordained in June 1974. In May 2004, Saint John Paul II appointed him as Auxiliary
Bishop of Manila where he served for ten years now.
Died. Former rector of the University of Santo Toms (UST)
Fr. Frederik S. Fermin, died on Monday, Oct. 27, from a yet
undisclosed cause, the official Facebook page of the university
reports. He was 90 years old. A Dutch-born naturalized Filipino
citizen, Fermin served the Pontifical and Royal University as
Rector Magnificus from 1978 until 1981. He was also Dean of
the Catholic universitys Faculty of Arts and Letters, and rector
of the UST Central Seminary.

Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Pastoral Concerns

B1

Message of Pope Francis at the

conclusion of the Synod
Personally I would be very
worried and saddened if it were
not for these temptations and
these animated discussions; this
movement of the spirits, as St
Ignatius called it (Spiritual Exercises, 6), if all were in a state
of agreement, or silent in a false
and quietist peace. Instead, I have
seen and I have heardwith
joy and appreciationspeeches
and interventions full of faith,
of pastoral and doctrinal zeal,
of wisdom, of frankness and of
courage: and of parresia. And
I have felt that what was set
before our eyes was the good of

Church that is not ashamed of the

fallen brother and pretends not to
see him, but on the contrary feels
involved and almost obliged to
lift him up and to encourage him
to take up the journey again and
accompany him toward a definitive encounter with her Spouse,
in the heavenly Jerusalem.
This is the Church, our Mother!
And when the Church, in the
variety of her charisms, expresses
herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the
strength of the sensus fidei, of
that supernatural sense of the
faith which is bestowed by the

[rather] to go out and find them.

His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church
is a service, as Pope Benedict
XVI clearly explained, with
words I cite verbatim: The
Church is called and commits
herself to exercise this kind
of authority which is service
and exercises it not in her own
name, but in the name of Jesus
Christ through the Pastors of
the Church, in fact: it is he who
guides, protects and corrects
them, because he loves them
deeply. But the Lord Jesus, the
supreme Shepherd of our souls,

conduct for the ministers of

God, an unconditional love, like
that of the Good Shepherd, full
of joy, given to all, attentive to
those close to us and solicitous
for those who are distant (cf.
St Augustine, Discourse 340,
1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle
towards the weakest, the little
ones, the simple, the sinners, to
manifest the infinite mercy of
God with the reassuring words
of hope (cf. ibid., Epistle, 95, 1).
So, the Church is Christsshe
is His brideand all the bishops,
in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and

it against the sinners, the weak,

and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is,
to transform it into unbearable
burdens (Lk 11:46).
The temptation to come down
off the Cross, to please the people,
and not stay there, in order to fulfill the will of the Father; to bow
down to a worldly spirit instead
of purifying it and bending it to
the Spirit of God.
The temptation to neglect the
depositum fidei [the deposit of
faith], not thinking of themselves
as guardians but as owners or
masters [of it]; or, on the other

the Church, of families, and the

supreme law, the good of
souls (cf. Can. 1752). And this alwayswe have said it here, in the
Hallwithout ever putting into
question the fundamental truths
of the Sacrament of marriage:
the indissolubility, the unity, the
faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that
openness to life (cf. Cann. 1055,
1056; and Gaudium et spes, 48).
And this is the Church, the
vineyard of the Lord, the fertile
Mother and the caring Teacher,
who is not afraid to roll up her
sleeves to pour oil and wine on

Holy Spirit so that, together, we

can all enter into the heart of the
Gospel and learn to follow Jesus
in our life. And this should never
be seen as a source of confusion
and discord.
Many commentators, or people who talk, have imagined that
they see a disputatious Church
where one part is
against the other,
doubting even the
Holy Spirit, the true
promoter and guarantor of the unity
and harmony of
the Churchthe
Holy Spirit who
throughout history
has always guided
the barque, through
her Ministers, even
when the sea was
rough and choppy,
and the ministers unfaithful and
sinners.
And, as I have dared to tell you,
[as] I told you from the beginning
of the Synod, it was necessary to
live through all this with tranquility, and with interior peace, so
that the Synod would take place
cum Petro and sub Petro (with
Peter and under Peter), and the
presence of the Pope
is the guarantee of
it all.
We will speak a
little bit about the
Pope, now, in relation to the Bishops.
So, the duty of the
Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity
of the Church; it is
that of reminding
the faithful of their
duty to faithfully
follow the Gospel
of Christ; it is that of reminding
the pastors that their first duty
is to nourish the flockto nourish the flockthat the Lord has
entrusted to them, and to seek
to welcomewith fatherly care
and mercy, and without false
fearsthe lost sheep. I made a
mistake here. I said welcome:

has willed that the Apostolic

College, today the Bishops, in
communion with the Successor
of Peter to participate in his
mission of taking care of Gods
People, of educating them in the
faith and of guiding, inspiring
and sustaining the Christian
community, or, as the Council

the duty of guarding her and

serving her, not as masters but as
servants. The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but
rather the supreme servant the
servant of the servants of God;
the guarantor of the obedience
and the conformity of the Church
to the will of God, to the Gospel
of Christ, and to
the Tradition of
the Church, putting aside every
personal whim,
despite beingby
the will of Christ
Himselfthe supreme Pastor and
Teacher of all the
faithful (Can. 749)
and despite enjoying supreme, full,
immediate, and
universal ordinary
power in the Church (cf. Cann.
331-334).
Dear brothers and sisters,
now we still have one year to
mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas
and to find concrete solutions
to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many
discouragements
that surround and
suffocate families.
One year to
work on the Synodal Relatio which
is the faithful and
clear summary of
everything that
has been said and
discussed in this
hall and in the
small groups. It is
presented to the
Episcopal Conferences as lineamenta.
May the Lord accompany us,
and guide us in this journey for
the glory of His Name, with the
intercession of the Blessed Virgin
Mary and of Saint Joseph. And
please, do not forget to pray for
me! Thank you!

CNA

of the intellectuals.
The temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness that in
the name of a deceptive mercy
binds the wounds without first
curing them and treating them;
that treats the symptoms and not
the causes and the roots. It is the
temptation of the do-gooders,
of the fearful, and also of the
so-called progressives and
liberals.
The temptation to transform
stones into bread to break the
long, heavy, and painful fast (cf.
Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform
the bread into a stone and cast

CNA

DEAR Eminences, Beatitudes,

Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters,
With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want
to thank, along with you, the
Lord who has accompanied and
guided us in the past days, with
the light of the Holy Spirit.
From the heart I thank Cardinal
Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary
General of the Synod, Bishop Fabio Fabene, under-secretary, and
with them I thank the Relators,
Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has
worked so much in these days of
family mourning, and the Special
Secretary Bishop Bruno Forte,
the three President delegates,
the transcribers, the consultors,
the translators and the unknown
workers, all those who have
worked with true fidelity and total dedication behind the scenes
and without rest. Thank you so
much from the heart.
I thank all of you as well,
dear Synod fathers, Fraternal
Delegates, Auditors, and Assessors, for your active and fruitful
participation. I will keep you in
prayer asking the Lord to reward
you with the abundance of His
gifts of grace!
I can happily say thatwith a
spirit of collegiality and of synodalitywe have truly lived the
experience of Synod, a path of
solidarity, a journey together.
And it has been a journey
and like every journey there were
moments of running fast, as if
wanting to conquer time and
reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue,
as if wanting to say enough;
other moments of enthusiasm
and ardor. There were moments
of profound consolation listening
to the testimony of true pastors,
who wisely carry in their hearts
the joys and the tears of their
faithful people. Moments of consolation and grace and comfort
hearing the testimonies of the
families who have participated in
the Synod and have shared with
us the beauty and the joy of their
married life. A journey where the
stronger feel compelled to help
the less strong, where the more
experienced are led to serve
others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of
human beings, with the consolations there were also moments
of desolation, of tensions and

temptations, of which a few

possibilities could be mentioned:
One, a temptation to hostile
inflexibility, that is, wanting to
close oneself within the written
word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by
God, by the God of surprises, (the
spirit); within the law, within the
certitude of what we know and
not of what we still need to learn
and to achieve. From the time of
Christ, it is the temptation of the
zealous, of the scrupulous, of the
solicitous and of the so-called
todaytraditionalists and also

CNA

CBCP Monitor

hand, the temptation to neglect

reality, making use of meticulous language and a language
of smoothing to say so many
things and to say nothing! They
call them byzantinisms, I think,
these things
Dear brothers and sisters, the
temptations must not frighten or
disconcert us, or even discourage us, because no disciple is
greater than his master; so if Jesus
Himself was temptedand even
called Beelzebul (cf. Mt 12:24)
His disciples should not expect
better treatment.

peoples wound; who doesnt see

humanity as a house of glass to
judge or categorize people. This
is the Church, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of
sinners, needful of Gods mercy.
This is the Church, the true bride
of Christ, who seeks to be faithful
to her spouse and to her doctrine.
It is the Church that is not afraid
to eat and drink with prostitutes
and publicans. The Church that
has the doors wide open to
receive the needy, the penitent,
and not only the just or those
who believe they are perfect! The

The temptations must not frighten

or disconcert us, or even discourage
us, because no disciple is greater than
his master; so if Jesus Himself was
tempted, His disciples should not
expect better treatment.
puts it, to see to it that each
member of the faithful shall be
led in the Holy Spirit to the full
development of his own vocation in accordance with Gospel
preaching, and to sincere and
active charity and to exercise
that liberty with which Christ
has set us free (cf. Presbyterorum
Ordinis, 6) and it is through

So, the Church is Christsshe is

His brideand all the bishops, in
communion with the Successor of
Peter, have the task and the duty of
guarding her and serving her, not as
masters but as servants.
us, Pope Benedict continues,
that the Lord reaches souls,
instructs, guards and guides
them. St Augustine, in his
Commentary on the Gospel of
St John, says: let it therefore be
a commitment of love to feed
the flock of the Lord (cf. 123,
5); this is the supreme rule of

Updates

B2

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Rules for the celebration of the Eucharist

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

the Church, as we shall see in c.846, 2

below.

cannot on his own initiative decide

to decorate the street and sidewalk in
front of his house with fancy tiles and
elaborate grillwork. Since the street
and sidewalk are public property, they
are subject to the sole jurisdiction of
lawfully constituted authority (which
is mandated to care for the common
good of the community). Only the City
Government (or National Government
if the road is a national road) can decree
modifications on the road.
On the other hand, the Christian
faithful have the right to worship God
according to the prescriptions of their own

Disposition and Supervision of the

Sacred Liturgy
Vatican Council II established the
following General Norms for the
disposition and supervision of the sacred
liturgy (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n.22):
1) Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends
solely on the authority of the Church, that
is, on the Apostolic See, and, as laws may
determine, on the bishop.
2) In virtue of power conceded by law,
the regulation of the liturgy within certain

FILE PHOTO

TIME and again, I have received queries

from the faithful regarding the way the
Holy Mass is celebrated in their school
or parish. The complaints are normally
related to specific gestures, changed and
unfamiliar formulas, shabby dress and
such. A Statement of the 20th National
Assembly of Diocesan Directors of
Liturgy (Sept 12-16, 2005) comes to mind.
Entitled Rubrics in the Celebration of the
Eucharist, the statement called on the
faithful to carefully study and observe

hence the term (from the Latin rubrum

= red)interspersed in the official
liturgical texts that indicate the bodily
gestures and postures of the celebrant(s),
other ministers and congregation, as well
as other material details regarding the
conduct of the particular rite or liturgical
ceremony. If even in public functions
from a simple flag-raising ceremony
to the most elaborate presidential
inaugurationthere is normally a
Master of Ceremonies to make sure the
written script and proper protocol
are followed, it stands to reason that
in the acts of public worship of God

Lex orandi, lex credendi: The Importance

of the Rubrics
Before anything else, we have to
clarify that liturgy goes farther than
Canon Law. Thus, the Code of Canon
Law states: For the most part the Code does
not define the rites which are to be observed in
celebrating liturgical actions. For this reason
current liturgical norms retain their force
unless a given liturgical norm is contrary
to the canons of the Code (c.2).
Nevertheless, it is also said that that
lex orandi, lex credendii.e., the rule of
prayer is the rule of faith. A person and
a community pray according to their
belief, such that private prayer and
community worship manifest the faith
of the individual and the community.
The external signs that a person is
subjected to, and which are prevalent
in a community, have a way of affecting
the way a person and a community think
or believe. The external signs of respect,
reverence and love that a Catholic
community gives to the Eucharistfor
examplenot only manifests its respect,
reverence and love for the Sacrament
of the Body and Blood of Christ, but
ultimately influence its faith in the Real
Presence.
Hence, the rubrics. Rubrics are the
indicationsnormally in red print,

Thus, actually very little is left to

individual initiative in the matter of the
liturgy, as the Code clearly states:
Can. 846 1. The liturgical books
approved by the competent authority are to
be faithfully observed in the celebration of
the sacraments; therefore no one on personal
authority may add, remove or change
anything in them.
2. The ministers are to celebrate the
sacraments according to their own rite.
All these are applicable to each of the
sacraments in particular and to sacred
liturgy in general. What about the Holy
Mass?
The General Instruction of the Roman
Missal (G.I.R.M.) and the Roman Missal

(which is what the liturgy is) there be a

proportionate concern that the script is
followed.
The Juridic Dimension of Public
Worship
But why take away spontaneity and
personal devotionone might askin
liturgical celebrations? There is indeed
a danger of overdoing the attention to
the rubricswhat some have called
rubricismsuch that the spirit of the
liturgy is stifled by rigid observance of
the printed procedure. Nevertheless,
there is a minimum requirement of
standard praxis in liturgy for the sake
of public order.
The operative word is public. In the
words of Vatican II, in the liturgy full
public worship is performed by the Mystical
Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head
and his members (Constitution on the
Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium,
4.XII.1963, n.7). It is not merely an
act of private personal devotion or
prayer, but rather the act of the whole
Churchthe Mystical Body of Christ,
including Christ the Head and all the
faithful as members of the body. In the
liturgyand the Eucharistic celebration
is the liturgical act par excellenceit is
not just the sacred minister or just any
individual faithful who acts, but the
whole Church acts.
It is this public nature of the liturgy
that gives it a juridic dimension. It forms
part of the common good and is worthy
of protection by the Law of the Church.
As an illustration, a private citizen

FILE PHOTO

the rubrics of the Holy Massand

eliminate in the assembly indecorous
movements or bodily gestures
(exhorting) fidelity and loyalty to the
liturgical reform of Vatican II. I would
like to revisit that document now.

The external signs

that a person is
subjected to, and
which are
prevalent in a
community, have a way
of affecting the way
a person
and a community
think or believe.

The Code of Canon Law, reflecting

the mind of Vatican Council II, has
established the competent authority in
the following terms:
Can. 838 1. The supervision of the
sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority
of the Church which resides in the Apostolic
See and, in accord with the law, the diocesan
bishop.
2. It is for the Apostolic See to order
the sacred liturgy of the universal Church, to
publish the liturgical books, to review their
translations into the vernacular languages
and to see that liturgical ordinances are
faithfully observed everywhere.
3. It pertains to the conferences
of bishops to prepare translations of
the liturgical books into the vernacular
languages, with the appropriate adaptations
within the limits defined in the liturgical
books themselves, and to publish them with
the prior review by the Holy See.
4. It pertains to the diocesan bishop
in the Church entrusted to him, within the
limits of his competence, to issue liturgical
norms by which all are bound.

rite approved by the legitimate pastors of

the Church (c.214)a right to which
corresponds the obligation, on the part
of the sacred ministers, to celebrate
the liturgy according to the norms
established by the legitimate pastors of

defined limits belongs also to various kinds of

bishops conferences, legitimately established,
with competence in given territories.
3) Therefore, no other person, not even a
priest, may add, remove, or change anything
in the liturgy on his own authority.

On top of dozens of important

documents regarding the Holy
Eucharist that have come out after
Vatican Council II, the most important
single document regarding the
Rules / B3

Funeral masses by another name

(Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy and dean
of theology at the Regina
Apostolorum university,
answers the following query:)
Q: I see with increasing
frequency programs for
funeral Masses entitled,
A Celebration of Life, or
something similar, in lieu of
entitling the ritual a Funeral
M a s s . I n p a r t i c u l a r, I
have experienced several
families who specifically

wishes should be taken into

account.
Personal requests, however,
should not undermine the
nature of Catholic funerals,
which are to intercede for
the soul of the deceased and
console those who remain
with the light and strength of
the faith.
If a family request cannot be
reasonably granted, a priest
should still attempt to gently
explain the reasons and if
possible use them as a means

to be reminded of this reality,

but the Churchs prayers do not
flinch before it. The Churchs
spiritual patrimony also
encourages Catholics to take
the reality of death serenely
into account as part of a healthy
spiritual development.
I can understand that, in a
multicultural society in which
a deceased Catholic might
have friends from several
or no faiths, a family might
desire to include something
such as a celebration of life

request the omission of

the word funeral in the
program, usually because
it seems to them too dour.
Is it permissible to give
the funeral rites (whether
a wake, a Mass, or a
committal) an alternate title
in keeping with the familys
sensibilities? And can you
comment on the propriety
of this? -- J.W., Washington,
D.C.
A: Funerals always require
pastoral tact and, as far
as reasonable, a familys

of showing how the truths that

lie at the heart of the Churchs
rites offer a consolation that
is far more objective and
permanent than any passing
remembrance.
A common alternative to
funeral Mass is the Mass of
Christian Burial, which is
merely descriptive of what
is happening. In fact, this
basically is what a funeral is, as
the word funeral derives from
the Latin word for rope, funis,
with which the deceased was
lowered into the grave.
Perhaps some do not wish

on a program. This might be

acceptable in certain nonliturgical circumstances such
as a wake or reception in which
the decreased is remembered
and praised by friends and
relatives. But it would not be
correct in the context of the
Mass.
A Catholic funeral is not
an anticipatory canonization
but above all a prayer of
intercession for the soul of the
departed. When St. John Paul
II was buried, the future Pope
Benedict XVI suggested in
his homily that the deceased

FILE PHOTO

The homily, delivered by the priest or deacon, focuses on the

Christians belief in the resurrection, thus offering hope and
consolation to mourners and faithful in general.
Pontiff was already looking
down from us from the window
of heaven. Yet at his burial
the same Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger prayed that John
Paul II would be freed from
the powers of darkness, that
God in his goodness would
forgive him his sins, accept
his good works, receive him
in the dwelling place of peace
and light, and grant him the
blessedness of the company of
the saints.
Many dioceses have issued
norms that address this issue.
As an example we present

some extracts from those

promulgated for the Irish
Archdiocese of Cashel and
Emly in 2004.
I n p re s e n t i n g t h e m t h e
archdiocese said:
These guidelines will help
us maintain the essential
religious nature of our funeral
liturgies, and encourage all of
us to focus on commending
our deceased to the mercy of
God and on giving thanks to
God for the blessings that they
received in life.
[They] will ensure that
the celebration of the funeral

l i t u rg y i s a d i g n i f i e d ,
prayerful and consoling
experience for mourners
and all who participate in
the funeral ceremonies.
They have been compiled
to assist all those whose
duty it is to make the
necessary arrangements
for the Christian burial of
one of the faithful. The
death of a family member
is a particularly sad and
painful experience. Even
when expected, the death
of a loved one a lwa y s
Funeral / B7

Year of the Laity

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

B3

Poverty, Migration and Family

Intervention of Archbishop Socrates Villegas at the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishop
representatives, etc.
The point seems to be clear: In the
Filipino psyche is a romanticized notion
of the West as the land of opportunity
accompanied by a deprecatory
assessment of the Philippine situation. It
is not really poverty alone, nor perhaps
principally, that sunders families. It is
rather the idealization of the West
and, for non-professionals, or manual
laborers, the Middle Eastas the land
of promise.
Many marriages are threatened by
the separation of couples owing to
overseas employment of one or the
other spouse; this peculiarity of the
national social psyche is threatening
for it can only mean that not even the
family is powerful enough a factor to
keep Filipinos home, especially when,

BECAUSE the family is also an

economic unit, poverty impacts on
it more often than not (though not
necessarily), negatively. While inspiring
stories are told of families that have
emerged stronger after having been
tested in the crucible of poverty, more
often, poverty inflicts terrible wounds
on members of the family and sadly,
many times, there is never a complete
recovery!
Of the nations of Southeast Asia, the
Philippines ranks among the highest in
the dispersal of its citizens throughout
the world. In fact, there is hardly a
corner of the world that one will not
find a Filipino. In Rome alone, there is a
sizable and vibrant Filipino community.
And it would be a case of undue
generalization to make the claim that
it is poverty that drives Filipinos from
their homeland to seek their fortunes
elsewhere.
We are not the poorest nation, but those
who rank lower than us in the economic
scale are not as dispersed as we are. This
compels us, if we are to understand the
phenomenon of the Filipino family in the
21st century better, to look elsewhere for
plausible explanations.
Many Filipinos who are abroad
are nurses, teachers and other
professionals, among these, engineers
and agriculturists. They are therefore
not at the bottom of the economic scale.
In fact, as professionals they would
not have really been hungry had they
remained home in the Philippines.
In dialogues with Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs), it has become
clear that many who have sought
employment abroad have done so
because they feel, rightly or wrongly,
that in the Philippines, they do not get
what they deserve.
The phenomenon of the nursing
profession makes for an interesting
case study. At one time, the Philippines
fielded nurses all over the world, and till
the present, many nurses in the United
States and in Europe are Filipinos. And
as schools of nursing proliferated in
the Philippines, we overstocked the
labor market with nurses and really
killed the proverbial goose that lays the
golden egg. There has been a deleterious
slump in the demand for Filipino
nurses. Many schools of nursing have
closed down, and graduates of the
nursing curriculum have had to seek
employment as call-center agents, sales

pictures from the past of members of

the family cohesively constituting an
economic unit working not only in
proximity to each other but living under
the same roof will be a disservice to a
Church that is sparing nothing to be
more effective in its pastoral care for
members of the family.
It would be presumptuous to offer
any definitive answer to this question,
but the matter has to be raised, and the
problem addressed. Does the Filipino
find in family ties and bonds a value so
high that others, including the prospect
of higher salaries and more comfortable
living, can be sacrificed for it? And if
the Filipinos valuation of the family
has suffered a downturn, what can the
Philippine Church do about it?
Obviously, the Philippine phenomenon

FILE PHOTO

Not even the family is powerful enough a factor

to keep Filipinos home, especially when,
we observe, the Filipinos who pack their bags
and seek employment abroad are not really
impoverished Filipinos.
we observe, the Filipinos who pack their
bags and seek employment abroad are
not really impoverished Filipinos.
There is no doubt that the unprincipled
aggressive recruitment policies of many
Western corporations and business
establishments, eager for cheap
labor, induce Filipinos with dreams
of immediate, though unrealistic,
prosperity. Talk to any OFW and you
will be impressed at the grasp he or she
has of terms relating to placement fees,
payment schemes, salaries, benefits,
wages, privilegesall this, obviously
the result of sweetened deals packaged
so as to attract cheap Filipino labor to
countries where a successful birthcontrol program has a very thin younger
sector to take care of an increasingly
aging population!
This takes us to a more involved
sociological issue that the Philippine
church must resolutely and studiously
confront: Does the family still matter
to the Filipino, and does it matter
sufficiently to come before every other
consideration that may sacrifice the
unity of the family? To cling to idyllic

is also symptomatic of a universal

phenomenon: a re-thinking and a reshaping of elemental units, the family
principally among them. And while
many Filipino OFWs will declare that the
sacrifice of living apart from spouse and
children is one they willingly make for
the sake of the family, one wonders what
notion of family life and what norms of
family membership Filipinos have when
they willing forego conjugal cohabitation,
they miss out on the childhood and
adolescence of their children, they become
strangers to their own familieswhile
they make a pile abroad.
If, as Gaudium et Spes boldly
proclaimed, the Church is the expert
on humanity, then this anthropological
and sociological question has to be
something that merits the Churchs
serious reflection, the debates and
studies of its scholars, and the guiding
voice of its shepherds.
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
CBCP President
October 16, 2014
Rome, Italy

The Spirit blows where He will!

Random Thoughts at the Close of the Synod

Inclusive and faithful love

There are two concerns of
the Church: first, the Church
must be able to extend to all that
hospitality, that care, that mercy
that Jesus ordained would be
the mark of his community, his
Body, the Church. None should be
systematically excluded because
of circumstances personal to the
individual. All should be aided in
the path of constant conversion
and renewal. All should be
offered the hope of the Gospel.
All should be comforted by the
love of brothers and sisters in
the One Body of Christ. In this
regard, Pope Francis warned us
of the temptation to be simply
do-gooders, that in the name
of a deceptive mercy binds the
wounds without first curing them
and treating them; that treats the
symptoms and not the causes and
the roots.
In the name of misplaced mercy

Pope Francis said we face the

temptation to come down off the
Cross, to please the people, and
not stay there, in order to fulfill
the will of the Father; to bow
down to a worldly spirit instead
of purifying it and bending it to
the Spirit of God.
The other concern is as
legitimate as the first: that the
Church must preach a message
that is not just a concession to
popular demand, but is truly
Christs, and that the Church
must remain constantly docile
to the prompting of the Spirit.
This is the reason that the Church
must be unceasingly devoted to
that discernment by which we all
seek out the will of God and read
from the Gospels, as interpreted
by the Tradition of the Church in
a living faith, a response to the
questions of our time. There is also
a temptation, according to Pope
Francis, of hostile inflexibility
that is, wanting to close oneself
within the written the letter
and not allowing oneself to be
surprised by God, by the God of
surprises; within the law, within
the certitude of what we know and
not of what we still need to learn
and to achieve. From the time of
Christ, it is the temptation of the
zealous, of the scrupulous.
Hurting families
Filipinos who presently
find themselves in irregular
relationshipslive-in unions, de
facto separation from spouses and
partnerships with other persons
must be helped by pastors
particularly by the Sacrament of
Penance, to follow the demands
of true and unselfish love in the
Spirit of the Gospel. We cannot

against them is an offense against

the good Lord Himself. Through
honest dialogue and pastoral
accompaniment, it should be our
goal to assist them to respond
to the demands of chastity and
that purity of body and heart
that Jesus, in the Gospels, calls
blessed. When they wish to make
an offering to the life of the Church
according to their talents, abilities
and gifts, the Church as mother
provides for them.
To the legislators who consider
giving legal recognition to same
sex unions, the Church declares
there is no equivalence or even
any remote analogy whatsoever
between marriage between a man
and woman as planned by God
and the so-called same sex unions.
We can be tempted to neglect
reality, making use of meticulous
language and a language of
smoothing to say so many things
and to say nothing, said Pope
Francis.

FILE PHOTO

I HAVE just finished attending

the Extraordinary Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops, convened
by the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
It was my privilege not only
to listen to the debates and
interventions. I also had the
privilege of addressing the
assembly on the role of the clergy
in family renewal. Much has been
written and reported on in respect
to this event, truly momentous
in the life of the Church. It is my
duty, as President of the CBCP,
and as a Synodal father, to share
with you these thoughts at the
conclusion of the synod. It is, as
has repeatedly been underscored,
only the prelude of more complete
discussions in the future that we
all eagerly await.

presume to judge and condemn.

Rather, the presumption should
be that there is a genuine effort
on their part to live according
to the demands of our faith. The
danger of scandal should never
stand in the way of genuine
charity, and the Catholic faithful
must be reminded that much of
what Jesus did was scandalous
to the righteous of his time.
Where, however, in the pastoral
assessment of bishops and priests,
the full and unqualified admission
of persons in irregular unions

to the life of the Church causes

charitable and sincere Catholics
to doubt and misunderstand the
teaching of the Church, then some
prudent arrangement must be
worked out that will be beneficial
to all.
Persons with same sex attraction
Persons with homosexual
orientation are sons and daughters
of God; no less than any of us is.
Discrimination against them is
contrary to the Gospel spirit.
Verbal and physical violence

Christian response
In facing our Catholic brethren
in painful broken marriage
situations or our brothers and
sisters with homosexual attraction
quietly struggling to be chaste,
Pope Francis said we must avoid
two temptations: The temptation
to transform stones into bread
to break the long, heavy, and
painful fast; and also to transform
the bread into a stone and cast
it against the sinners, the weak,
and the sick, add to their already
unbearable burdens.
Our Filipino Catholic laity must
be fully engaged in the apostolate
of the family for the family is
precisely the competence of lay
persons. Active Catholic couples

are asked to lead in initiatives that

assist couples in living the reality
of the sacrament of matrimony,
and in the rearing of their families
according to the spirit of the
Gospel. Our bishops and pastors
encourage and support these lay
initiatives.
I wish to borrow this prayer
at the end of the Message to the
People of God at the conclusion
of the synod:
Father, grant to all families
the presence of strong and wise
spouses
who may be the source of a free
and united family.
Father, grant that parents
may have a home in which
to live
in peace with their families.
Father, grant that children may
be signs of trust and hope
and that young people may
have the courage
to forge life-long, faithful
commitments.
Father, grant that all may be able
to earn bread with their hands,
that they may enjoy serenity
of spirit
and that they may keep aflame
the torch of faith even in periods
of darkness.
Father, grant that we may all
see flourish,
a Church that is ever more
faithful and credible,
a just and humane city,
a world that loves truth, justice
and mercy.
Rome, October 19, 2014
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
ArchbishopofLingayen-Dagupan
CBCP President

Rules / 2

celebration of the Holy Mass is the

Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani
or General Instruction of the Roman
Missal (G.I.R.M.), by the Sacred
Congregation for Divine Worship on
26.III.1970, subsequently updated
on 27.III.1975 (2nd Edition), and most
recently by the Congregation on
Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments in 2002 (3 rd Edition).
Together with the Roman Missal itself
(also referred to as the Novus Ordo or

the Vatican II Mass and published

almost simultaneously with the
G.I.R.M.), this contains the complete
script of the Holy Mass as revised
by Vatican II, together with all the
possible variations andthis is the
bone of contentionthe instructions
(rubrics) regarding the bodily gestures
of celebrant (s), other ministers and
congregation and the disposition of
the various material elements that go
into the Eucharistic celebration.

Conclusion
There are many more details in
the G.I.R.M. that need fine-tuning
in the Philippines. For starters,
however, perhaps we can note the
following:
1) There is a need to go back to the
rubrics, since the conduct of the Mass is
not a matter for the individual tastes of
bishops and much less of priests.
2) While admitting the possibility
for variations and adaptations to the

local Filipino situation (inculturation),

such variations cannot be introduced
without prior review and approval by
the Holy See. A case in point is the socalled Filipino Mass, which has not been
approved by the Holy See.
3) Specifically, the points raised
by the most recent Instruction from
the Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
Redemptionis Sacramentum, On certain
matters to be observed or to be avoided

regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (19.

III.2004), can be given priority.
4 ) We e n d w i t h n . 1 8 o f t h e
aforementioned Instruction, which
quotes St. John Paul II: Christs faithful
have the right that the ecclesiastical
authority fully and efficaciously regulate
the Sacred Liturgy lest it should ever
seem to be anyones private property,
whether of the celebrant or of the
community in which the mysteries are
celebrated.

Features

B4

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Homily of Pope Francis at the Closing mass of

the Extraordinary Synod on the Family and the
beatification of the Servant of God Paul VI
WE have just heard one of the most
famous phrases in the entire Gospel:
Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesars, and to God the things that
are Gods (Mt22:21).
Goaded by the Pharisees who
wanted, as it were, to give him an exam
in religion and catch him in error, Jesus
gives this ironic and brilliant reply. It
is a striking phrase which the Lord has
bequeathed to all those who experience
qualms of conscience, particularly
when their comfort, their wealth,
their prestige,
their power and
their reputation
are in question.
This happens all
the time; it always
has.
Certainly Jesus
puts the stress on
the second part
of the phrase:
and [render] to
God the things
that are Gods.
This calls for
acknowledging
and professing
in the face of any
sort of power
that God alone is
the Lord of mankind, that there is no
other. This is the perennial newness to
be discovered each day, and it requires
mastering the fear which we often feel
at Gods surprises.
God is not afraid of new things! That
is why he is continually surprising
us, opening our hearts and guiding
us in unexpected ways. He renews
us: he constantly makes us new.
A Christian who lives the Gospel is
Gods newness in the Church and in
the world. How much God loves this
newness!
Rendering to God the things that
are Gods means being docile to his
will, devoting our lives to him and
working for his kingdom of mercy,
love and peace.

Here is where our true strength is

found; here is the leaven which makes
it grow and the salt which gives flavor
to all our efforts to combat the prevalent
pessimism which the world proposes
to us. Here, too, is where our hope is
found, for when we put our hope in
God we are neither fleeing from reality
nor seeking an alibi: instead, we are
striving to render to God what is Gods.
That is why we Christians look to the
future, Gods future. It is so that we
can live this life to the fullestwith
our feet firmly planted
on the groundand
respond courageously
to whatever new
challenges come our
way.
In these days, during
t h e e x t r a o rd i n a r y
Synod of Bishops, we
have seen how true
this is. Synod means
journeying together.
And indeed pastors
and lay people from
every part of the world
have come to Rome,
bringing the voice
of their particular
Churches in order to
help todays families
walk the path the Gospel with their
gaze fixed on Jesus. It has been a
great experience, in which we have
lived synodality and collegiality, and
felt the power of the Holy Spirit who
constantly guides and renews the
Church. For the Church is called to
waste no time in seeking to bind up
open wounds and to rekindle hope in
so many people who have lost hope.
For the gift of this Synod and for the
constructive spirit which everyone has
shown, in union with the Apostle Paul
we give thanks to God always for
you all, constantly mentioning you in
our prayers (1 Th1:2). May the Holy
Spirit, who during these busy days
has enabled us to work generously, in
true freedom and humble creativity,

Rendering to God
the things that are
Gods means being
docile to his will,
devoting our lives to
him and working for
his kingdom of mercy,
love and peace.

Salt and Light TV

Saint Peters Square; Sunday, 19 October 2014

Pope Paul VI was beatified during the closing Mass of the Synod on the Family on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014.

continue to guide the journey which,

in the Churches throughout the world,
is bringing us to the Ordinary Synod of
Bishops in October 2015. We have sown
and we continued to sow, patiently and
perseveringly, in the certainty that it is
the Lord who gives growth to what we
have sown (cf.1 Cor3:6).
On this day of the Beatification of
Pope Paul VI, I think of the words
with which he established theSynod
of Bishops: by carefully surveying
the signs of the times, we are making
every effort to adapt ways and
methods to the growing needs of
our time and the changing conditions
of society (Apostolic Letter Motu
ProprioApostolica Sollicitudo).
When we look to this great Pope,
this courageous Christian, this tireless

apostle, we cannot but say in the

sight of God a word as simple as it is
heartfelt and important: thanks! Thank
you, our dear and beloved Pope Paul
VI! Thank you for your humble and
prophetic witness of love for Christ
and his Church!
In his personal journal, the great
helmsman of the Council wrote, at the
conclusion of its final session: Perhaps
the Lord has called me and preserved
me for this service not because I am
particularly fit for it, or so that I can
govern and rescue the Church from
her present difficulties, but so that I can
suffer something for the Church, and
in that way it will be clear that he, and
no other, is her guide and saviour (P.
Macchi,Paolo VI nella sua parola, Brescia,
2001, pp. 120-121). In this humility the

grandeur of Blessed Paul VI shines forth:

before the advent of a secularized and
hostile society, he could hold fast, with
farsightedness and wisdomand at
times aloneto the helm of the barque
of Peter, while never losing his joy and
his trust in the Lord.
Paul VI truly rendered to God
what is Gods by devoting his
whole life to the sacred, solemn and
grave task of continuing in history
and extending on earth the mission
of Christ (Homily for the Rite of
Coronation: Insegnamenti I, (1963),
26), loving the Church and leading
her so that she might be a loving
mother of the whole human family
and at the same time the minister of its
salvation (Encyclical LetterEcclesiam
Suam, Prologue).

Message of the Synod Assembly on the pastoral challenges

to the family in the context of evangelization
WE, Synod Fathers, gathered in Rome together with
Pope Francis in the Extraordinary General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops, greet
all families of the different
continents and in particular
all who follow Christ, the
Way, the Truth, and the Life.
We admire and are grateful
for the daily witness which
you offer us and the world
with your fidelity, faith,
hope, and love.
Each of us, pastors of the
Church, grew up in a fami l y, a n d
we come
from a
g r e a t
variety
of backgrounds
and experiences.
As priests
and bishops we
have lived
alongside
families
who have
spoken
to us and
shown us
the saga of
their joys
and their
difficulties.
T h e
preparation for this synod assembly, beginning with the
questionnaire sent to the
Churches around the world,
has given us the opportunity to listen to the experience of many families. Our
dialogue during the Synod
has been mutually enriching, helping us to look at the
complex situations which
face families today.
We offer you the words
of Christ: Behold, I stand
at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will enter
his house and dine with

him, and he with me. On his

journeys along the roads of the
Holy Land, Jesus would enter
village houses. He continues
to pass even today along the
streets of our cities. In your
homes there are light and shadow. Challenges often present
themselves and at times even
great trials. The darkness can
grow deep to the point of becoming a dense shadow when
evil and sin work into the heart
of the family.
We recognize the great challenge to remain faithful in conjugal love.
Enfeebled
faith and
indifference
to
true values, individualism,
impoverishment of
relationships, and
stress that
excludes
r e f l e c tion leave
their mark
on family
life. There
are often
crises in
marriage,
often confronted in
haste and
without the
courage to have patience and
reflect, to make sacrifices and
to forgive one another. Failures
give rise to new relationships,
new couples, new civil unions,
and new marriages, creating
family situations which are
complex and problematic,
where the Christian choice is
not obvious.
We think also of the burden
imposed by life in the suffering that can arise with a child
with special needs, with grave
illness, in deterioration of old
age, or in the death of a loved
one. We admire the fidelity of
so many families who endure

these trials with courage, faith,

and love. They see them not
as a burden inflicted on them,
but as something in which they
themselves give, seeing the
suffering Christ in the weakness of the flesh.
We recall the difficulties
caused by economic systems,
by the the idolatry of money
and the dictatorship of an
impersonal economy lacking a

wandering without hope in

the desert, of those persecuted
because of their faith and the
human and spiritual values
which they hold. These are
stricken by the brutality of
war and oppression. We remember the women who suffer violence and exploitation,
victims of human trafficking,
children abused by those who
ought to have protected them

Christ wanted his Church to

be a house with doors always
open to welcome everyone. We
warmly thank our pastors, lay
faithful, and communities who
accompany couples and families and care for their wounds.
***
There is also the evening
light behind the windowpanes
in the houses of the cities, in

FILE PHOTO

This path also includes

sexual relationship,
tenderness, intimacy,
and beauty capable of
lasting longer than the
vigor and freshness of
youth. Such love, of
its nature, strives to be
forever to the point of
laying down ones life
for the beloved.

A migrant Filipino family participates in Family Day in Rome, Italy in 2010.

truly human purpose which

weakens the dignity of people.
We remember unemployed
parents who are powerless to
provide basic needs for their
families, and youth who see
before them days of empty
expectation, who are prey to
drugs and crime.
We think of so many poor
families, of those who cling
to boats in order to reach a
shore of survival, of refugees

and fostered their development, and the members of so

many families who have been
degraded and burdened with
difficulties. The culture of
prosperity deadens us. all
those lives stunted for lack of
opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.
We call on governments and
international organizations
to promote the rights of the
family for the common good.

modest residences of suburbs and villages, and even

in mere shacks, which shines
out brightly, warming bodies
and souls. This lightthe light
of a wedding storyshines
from the encounter between
spouses: it is a gift, a grace expressed, as the Book of Genesis
says, when the two are face
to face as equal and mutual
helpers. The love of man and
woman teaches us that each

needs the other in order to

be truly self. Each remains
different from the other that
opens self and is revealed in
the reciprocal gift. It is this
that the bride of the Song of
Songs sings in her canticle:
My beloved is mine and I
am his I am my beloveds
and my beloved is mine.
This authentic encounter
begins with courtship, a
time of waiting and preparation. It is realized in the
sacrament where God sets
his seal, his presence, and
grace. This path also includes sexual relationship,
tenderness, intimacy, and
beauty capable of lasting
longer than the vigor and
freshness of youth. Such
love, of its nature, strives
to be forever to the point
of laying down ones life
for the beloved. In this
light conjugal love, which
is unique and indissoluble,
endures despite many difficulties. It is one of the most
beautiful of all miracles and
the most common.
This love spreads through
fertility and generativity,
which involves not only the
procreation of children but
also the gift of divine life in
baptism, their catechesis,
and their education. It includes the capacity to offer
life, affection, and values
an experience possible even
for those who have not
been able to bear children.
Families who live this lightfilled adventure become a
sign for all, especially for
young people.
This journey is sometimes
a mountainous trek with
hardships and falls. God is
always there to accompany
us. The family experiences
his presence in affection
and dialogue between husband and wife, parents and
children, sisters and brothers. They embrace him in
family prayer and listening
Family / B7

Statements

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

B5

Pastoral Statement on the Pastoral Challenges

of the Family by the Synod of Bishops
in the Context of the Diocese of Daet
parents in their marriage to assist them
in accomplishing this responsibility
(#132).
In recent days, we have seen and
heard how sin and inordinate passion
can destroy marital relationships and
make or break families. It is a reminder
for all of us to renew our efforts to help
married people live up to their promise
of fidelity and fruitfulness in professing
their marriage vows. We need to pray
more for families especially husbands
and wives so that their love and
faithfulness will truly be grounded
on their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
whose mercy and forgiveness require
repentance and reparation.
There is also a need for all of us
especially parents to protect our
children from lewd photos and
pornography that has been transmitted
through the social media like facebook,
emails and mobile phones. We also
appeal to people who pass on these
kinds of materials to stop from doing
so. These pollute the minds of people
especially our young people that lead to
the trivializing of their sexuality which
come from God.
May these trying times in our lives
as a province and as a community of
Gods people teach us to exert every
possible effort to grow close to God so
that we may remain in our commitment
to our Christian Vocation.
+ GILBERT A. GARCERA, D.D.
Bishop of Daet
October 25, 2014

FILE PHOTO

POPE Francis convened the

Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on
the Pastoral Challenges of the Family in
the Context of Evangelization in Rome
from October 5-19, 2014. It sought to
discuss the different aspects of marriage
and the family in the modern world
especially the marital difficulties and
irregular unions that beset it. There
are some key points that need to be
emphasized in our current situation
in the diocese, namely;
1. The family is an inexhaustible
resource and font of life in the Churchs
pastoral activity. Therefore, the primary
task of the Church is to proclaim the
beauty of the vocation to love which
holds great potential for society and
the Church.
2. The mercy of God does not
provide a temporary cover-up of
personal misdeeds, but rather radically
opens lives to reconciliation which
brings new trust and serenity through
true inward renewal. The pastoral care
of families, far from limiting itself to
a legal point of view, has a mission
to recall the great vocation of love to
which each person is called and to help
a person live up to the dignity of that
calling (#80).
3. Pastoral charity impels the
Church to assist people who have
suffered the breakdown of their
marriage and are living with their
situation relying on the grace of Christ
(#103).
4. Recent Church Magisterium
has stressed the importance of raising
children and the special grace given to

Daet Bishop Gilbert A. Garcera, D.D. calls on parents to protect their children vigilantly from unwanted exposure to
pornographic videos and images.

TO the People of God in the

Diocese of Bayombong:
In the Year of the Laity, the
Church reminds the Christian
of the fundamental calling: To
witness to ones faith in Jesus,
The Lord, and, in so witnessing,
to transform human society so
that the seed of the Kingdom
that The Lord came to sow may
bring forth a harvest of justice,
peace, truth and love. The
Christian cannot by a fencesitter. Christs disciples take
to heart the command He left
us all: Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations. This is
the reason that as your pastor
in this diocese, this portion of
the Lords flock, I must speak
out and write you.
Threatened Transgression of
the Constitution
The incumbent President
of the Philippines has openly
announced his readiness to
wield the awesome powers
of the presidency for another
term if his so-called bosses
wish it. Since the Constitution
of the Republic is clear that a
president can serve for only
one term, this can mean only
one thing: Using the powerful
patronage he wields over
his allies in Congress, he is
prepared to cause amendments
to the Constitution to prolong
his tenure of office. This is
morally objectionable to a
serious degree. A Constitution
constitutes so serious a
covenant between the people
and their government that it
cannot and should never be
tampered with to serve the
purposes solely of on who
wishes to enjoy the perks and
powers of office longer.
Let me put it in the most
direct terms possible: There is
no morally compelling reason
to amend the Constitution,
if the purpose of such al
teration is to prolong the term
of the incumbent president.
It is deplorable arrogance
for anyone to think himself
indispensable to national
life, and that sycophancy by
which his allies, party-mates
and friends have urged him
on this path of irresponsibility
and recklessness should be
reproved!
Bangsamoro and the Integrity
of the Republic
Not too long ago, the President
submitted to Congress the draft
organic law of a novel political
entity in the life of the nation
called Bangsamoro. As a
shepherd of the Church, I
support every well-intentioned,
carefully considered, expertly
executed plan for lasting peace,
especially with our Muslim
brothers and sisters, provided

that the solution suffers no

moral and legal infirmity.
It is therefore bothersome
t h a t i t s p ro p o n e n t s h a v e
called on Congress to pass
the law expeditiously and, if
possible, not to water down
its provisions. We cannot
support this call, because it
is tantamount to the request
that Congress desist from
performing its duty. The
enactment of an organic act
for an autonomous region is a
legislative act. As the elected
representatives of the people,
our congressmen and senators
must debate the matter with
thoroughness, candor and
studiousness, and amend,
alter and, where necessary,
re-write it, in accordance with
the demands of their bounden
duty as legislators.
To seek the speedy passage
of the organic act to be able to
claim the honor of bringing
lasting peace in Mindanao is
nothing more than the pursuit
of vainglory. Peace is not
real unless it is principled,
and when so much that is
fundamental to the life of the
nation -- such as territorial
and political integrity -- is
sacrificed, the nation really
wins no victory at all. Even
now, we hear disturbing voices
from members of indigenous
cultural communities in
Mindanao that those who sat
at the negotiating table did
not represent their interests
and had no right to speak for
them. Even now, other political
factions in Mindanao are not
mincing their words of reproof
of what they consider a cheap
deal!
Selective Prosecution and
the Persecution of Political
Opponents
The present government has
relentlessly, even mercilessly,
gone after its political enemies.
The continued incarceration
of former President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, despite
the fact that others accused

FILE PHOTO

Pastoral Letter on social and political issues

been linked to scams and named

as participants in wrongdoing.
The Czech diplomats damning
statements against some closest
to the President have all but
been swept under the rug! The
disturbing question over the
billions that have gone into
the conditional cash transfer,
or the dole-out program of the
DSWD and the sinful waste
of tons of food and other
donations owing to ineptitude

clearance of any wrongdoing

from the President! One is
corrupt in the measure that
one allows corruption to thrive!
Justice is not real if it is
selective. The CBCP Presidents
statement earlier made this
pronouncement. We reiterate
it forcefully now.
PDAF, DAP and Bullying the
Judiciary

This can still be Mr. Aquinos finest hour, if he takes the

gallant step of graciously resigning his office so that people
more qualified and free of the scandals that have plagued
his administration may take over.
with her have been granted
bail, despite the fact that
she enjoys the constitutional
presumption of innocence, is
the most glaring example of
selective prosecution in the
country today.
R e p e a t e d l y, C a b i n e t
members and high-ranking
government officials of the
present administration have

and criminal incompetence of

government officials dealing
with donations, local and
foreign for the victims of
Typhoon Yolanda, have yet to be
investigated. Several times, key
officials of this administration
have been named by witnesses
and accusers, and almost
a s f re q u e n t l y, t h e y h a v e
instantaneously obtained

While the government has

prided itself about overcoming
what it has pictured to be the
arrant corruption of the past,
we have been told that pork
allocations under President
Aquino have ballooned to
proportions heretofore unseen.
The fact that PDAF and DAP
were planned by the President
and Mr. Butch Abad and

that they continue to defend

DAP that has been declared
unconstitutional by the
Supreme Courtas was PDAF
earliercan only mean that the
President and Mr. Abad insist
that it was correct for them to
violate the fundamental law of
the land on the use of public
funds. How can a government
claim righteousness that shows
scant regard for the legality of
its actions in respect to public
money?
A spate of reprisals followed
President Aquinos reversal
before the Supreme Court.
He asked for constitutional
amendments to clip the powers
of the judiciary. His allies have
endeavored to sever the Courts
control over the Judiciary
Development Fund, and there
are reliable reports that local
government units have been
instructed to desist from giving
judges the allowances that
such units have extended to
members of the Bench.
The judiciary is designed to
check on excesses of the political
branches of government. Its
members are not elected,
but selected on the basis
of competence, educational
qualification and merit. To
endeavor to interdict the
judiciary runs contrary to a
government that must exercise
its powers within the confines
of law.
I am particularly troubled
by what I now take to be
established: that DAP was used
in part to entice Senators to
vote for the conviction of Chief
Justice Renato Corona at his
impeachment trial. This cannot
but be the height of injustice.
To pay for the conviction of a
man was an evil against which
the prophets inveighed in the
strongest terms possible, and
in the name of God.
Pastoral Exhortation
I ask you, Gods people, to
make it clear to the government
that we will not accept term
extensions, that we want
investigation and prosecution
to be fair and to include
those who apparently enjoy
protection and favor today.
I ask those in government
who are also Catholic laity
to be prophetic and to speak
out against the hypocrisy by
which the speck in the eyes
of the past administration
is so easily pointed out and
so frequently blamed for the
misfortunes of the present,
while overlooking the beam
that does not enable the
present administration to
perceive reality accurately.
I u rg e h o n e s t , u p r i g h t
and competent Catholics to
seek public office by honest
means so that we may have a

government that truly honors

both the just laws of men and
the everlastingly just law of
God.
I exhort the faithful in
this diocese to join popular
initiatives towards reform
and national transformation,
always motivated by love and
by the desire for the peace that
is the hallmark of the Kingdom
of Jesus Christ.
Appeal for Patriotism
This can still be Mr. Aquinos
finest hour, if he takes the
gallant step of graciously
resigning his office so that
people more qualified and
free of the scandals that have
plagued his administration
may take over. True, the
past administration was also
plagued by allegations and
accusations of wrong-doing,
but till the present, most of
these remain allegations, as
the spate of dismissals of cases
against the former president
clearly evidence. In the present
case, however, no thorough
investigation can ever progress
because the Chief Executive
shields all his cabinet members
and allies from honest-togoodness investigations. He
has conscripted the members
of his Congress to stand
guard against impeachment
complaints against him. I
therefore join the calls of the
Lipa and Cebu Declarations
for the President to step down
from office. By corrupting
Senate sitting as a court of
impeachment, by misusing
public funds in the form of DAP,
by threatening the judiciary, by
goading partisans to amend
the Constitution for the selfserving purpose of extending
his term, and by shielding
culprits and criminals within
his circle of friends from
investigation, he has culpably
violated the Constitution,
betrayed public trust and
exhibited crass corruption
and moral bankruptcy. The
People can no longer take
orders from nor consider
themselves morally bound to
obedience to such a leader.
This is not a call for any
extra-constitutional measure,
because the resignation of a
president is a contingency for
which the Constitution indeed
provides.
I ask Gods People to make
common cause with all who
seek true righteousness, the
righteousness not of daang
matuwid, but Daan ni Cristo,
and to join in the national
clamor for a change of national
leadership.
+RAMON B. VILLENA, D.D.
Bishop of Bayombong
October 20, 2014

Ref lections

B6

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

We are Gods living temples

Dedication of St. John Lateran, John 2:13-22 (A); November 9, 2014

it is just spontaneous and perfectly

understandable that those who plan
and build them should try to make
them as worthy of God as they can.
This is the area where devotion and
art forge a holy alliance, the result
of which are majestic constructions,
statues, paintings and other forms of
artistic creation which form the object
of admiration of millions of people.
But this is also an aspect of these
religious buildings and works of art that
may lead to great exaggerations. Some

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

IT is our duty to worship God, and to
worship Him not only in our heart, but
also externally and in union with others,
for we are made of soul and body and are
social beings. This is one of the reasons
why places of worship exist.
In themselves, they are visible
manifestations of religious faith and
powerful reminders of the religious
dimension of our life. They have been
and are constructed for the practical
purpose of creating a prayerful
ambiance which shelters the faithful
from the distractions and noise of
ordinary life, especially in our bustling
metropolises.
For us Christians, our churches
are not just buildings that enable us
to pray better. Many of them are also
expressions of our gratitude to God for
certain special favors we have received
from Him. Other churches are meant
to honor Mary Most Holy and other
saints; others commemorate certain
apparitions and miracles. Still others
recall the martyrdom of brave believers,
from the very beginning of the Christian
era to our own time. Ancient churches
are precious links with the past. They
are eloquent witnesses to the faith of
our ancestors. As such, they are also an
encouragement and a challenge for us
to be worthy of them.
And since churches and other places
of worship are directly related to God,

CNA

What will determine our eternal happiness or

unhappiness will be the acts of charity and justice
toward our neighbor that we have performed
(or failed to perform) in our earthly life.
may even create false assurances about
Gods special favor. This happened to
the Jews in reference to their Temple
in Jerusalemsomething against
which prophets like Jeremiah raised
their voices. This can still happen to
us Christians who may be tempted
to forget that the most important
and precious asset of the Church is
not its sacred buildings but people,
especially those in need. The essence of
Christianity is neither institutions nor
buildings but LOVEa love patterned
after the teaching and example of Jesus
Christ.

Gods gifts are for serviced and creativity

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Matthew 25:14-30 (A); November 16, 2014
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
ALL of Gods gifts are beautiful
and precious. They are so many,
far beyond our counting, for
God is always immensely
generous in lavishing His
blessings upon us. For our part,
our first duty is to become aware
of them. Denying Gods gifts or
hiding them is not humility, but
a very impoverishing form of
moral blindness.
On the other hand, once we
become aware of the gifts we
have received from the Lord, we
should not boast about them,
as if they were our doing, nor
should we take them for granted

as something that God owed

us. The proper attitude toward
the favors of the Lord is that of
Mary, as we see it splendidly
expressed in the opening of
her Magnificat: it is honest and
grateful appreciation of these
gifts as signs of Gods love for
us. (See Lk 1:46-49.)
B u t , i n a d d i t i o n t o
acknowledging them as coming
from the Lord, we have also to
utilize these gifts according to
His will, i.e., with wisdom and
creativity. God who is ever
so generous and trusting will
ask us to account for the way in
which we have used His gifts.
What we shall have to
account for is not any big sum

of money entrusted to our

enterprise. It is not only and
simply the way we used our
physical, intellectual, aesthetic,
spiritual faculties, and the
numberless opportunities to
do good to others offered us
by the Lord. In this regard
we have to remember that
Gods gifts are meant both
for the needs/good of each of
us and of others. We should
not claim and use them in a
selfish manner. Rather, we are
expected to use these gifts/
talents also for the good of
our neighbor and the growth
of Gods Kingdom on earth.
We have also to remember
that the most important item

of our accountability will be

our very selfGods basic
and most precious gift to us.
This means that, in addition
to having to account for what
we did to others, we shall be
especially accountable for what
we did with ourselves.
God has implanted in each
of us the potentiality to
become a saint, to be a living
example and an instrument
of His saving and sanctifying
love. The decisive question will
always be, Did we do our best
to become one? . . . Only a
positive answer will entitle us
to hear the invitation, Come,
share your Masters joy! (Mt
25:21)

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Occasionally, a sad contrast and

even an opposition may arise between
what we consider expressions of our
love for God and our love for people.
It may happen that we forget that
Christ has come to teach us that God
wants to be loved especially in people.
Consequently, immense resources and
huge amounts of money are poured into
the construction or embellishment of
places of worship even in nations and
areas where millions of people live in
misery and neglect. Such misguided

What a journey it has been!

AFTER all trials, surprises and challenges

in life we can most appropriately utter
the above (title) statement (quoted from
a popular song), accompanied always
deep in our hearts by a deep sense of
gratitude towards God
Almighty. Really, if only
we deeply contemplate
on this fleeting course of
our lives, we can see there
how the hand of Gods
providence is ever there to
guide and protect us and
then we can only thank
Him most graciously for
that loving care on all of His children.
Yes, He took care of us since our tenderest
years, giving us loving parents who took
care of us in discipline and education that
we may learn to fend for ourselves and be

able to face future challenges and struggles

in our earthly passage towards Gods future
heavenly Kingdom.
On our part what we have to do is to
place ourselves in His trust. But we must

who searches always finds; the one who

knocks will always have the door opened
to him (Mt. 7:7). If you, then, who are
evil, know how to give your children
what is good, how much more will your
Father in heaven give
good things to those who
ask him! (Mt. 7:11).
Its comforting to realize
we truly have a Father in
heaven who cares for us
as we continue to journey
in life. So as a popular
song goes: walk with hope
in your heart, and youll
never walk alone. Lets not forget the very
words Gods Testament tells us in the letter
of St. Paul to the Romans: All things work
together unto good for those who love God
(Rom. 8:28).

He took care of us since our tenderest years,

giving us loving parents who took care of us in
discipline and education that we may learn
to fend for ourselves.
not forget what Jesus, the Son of God,
asks us to do: Ask, and it will be given
to you, search, and you will find, knock
and the door will be opened to you. For
the one who asks always receives; the one

use of resources is hardly compatible

with the priorities of Christ who always
privileged people over material or legal
structures.
We should never forget that at the
end of our life and at the end of time,
we will be judged by Jesus Christ. At
that moment, what will determine our
eternal happiness or unhappiness will
be neither the number nor the splendor
of the places/objects of worship we
have created, but the acts of charity
and justice toward our neighbor that
we have performed (or failed to perform)
in our earthly life. (See Mt 25:31-46.)

The Commemoration
of the Faithful
Departed:
Expressing His Love
All Souls Day, Jn 14:1-6 (A);
November 2, 2014
By Fr. Joseph Pellegrino
IT is only a few months since your husband or wife died, or
perhaps your parents who lived with you, or maybe it was
your child. You get up from the sofa in the living room to go
to the kitchen, and for a split second you think you see him
or her. Then you remember, No, Mom passed away two
months ago. Or you go to Grandpa and Grandmas house.
Only Grandma is not there; she passed away recently. But in
an unguarded moment, in the blink of an eye, with a quick
glance, you think you see her there.
These are common occurrences. Certain places or events
can trigger our memory in such a powerful way that the
person we remember seems present. Now, some people will
say, Moms gone. or Shes just a memory, but she isnt
here any more, and do their best to move on with life. We,
Christians, do more than that, though. Much more. For us
Christians the everyday event of sensing the presence of our
departed loved ones reminds us of a wonderful reality: our
loved ones still live. The flashback to their presence in our
lives often leads us to say a prayer for them. Perhaps we
might say, May she rest in peace, united to the Lord forever

Bo Sanchez

I WAS in Grade Five.

One of my teachers was young
and pretty, and I thought she
liked me too. Why did she look
at me every time I looked at her?
After extensive research
in the faculty room, I found out
that she was only twenty-four.
Aha! Can she wait for me until
I grew older? I was only eleven,
but what was thirteen years if
our fierce love would conquer
all that stood between us?
She still had problems
remembering my name, but I
figured this tiny problem would
be solved once my name was
inscribed on her wedding ring.
But later on, I realized it
was rather silly for me to fall in
love with a teacher. Especially if
she kept giving me low grades.
That was when I met Cedz
and Dina
Cedz was nice. She was
the brightest in our class, and
she had the cutest dimples. And

Learn from Your Tears

Dina giggled a lot, and had the
longest eyelashes in the world.
Now the big question:
Whom should I marry? Dimples
or lashes?
Well, my problem was
finally solved when I met Tintin.
Oh yes, I was wrong the last
time. I was young then. Those
were childish crushes. But now,
this was true love. I was fifteen
now. Tintin and I were totally
meant for each other. How did
I know? I loved the way she
covered her mouth when she
laughed
Through the years, Ive had
a thousand other crushes with
other dimples, lashes, braces,
smiles, giggles, hair-clips, winks,
laughs, scents, teeth
I had my first girlfriend
at 17.
We broke up, made up,
broke up again, made up again
Please repeat sequence 3000
times.

(Note: Thats why Im one

of those freaks that encourage
young people to have boyfriends
or girlfriends only after their
college graduation. Their time
and energy can be spent in more
life-expanding activities than
breaking up and making up for
3000 times.)
I courted another young
woman when I was 25and
waited for her yes.
I gave her roses, chocolates,
and serenaded her with love
songs. I really had a super-duper
fantastic time. Except for one
slight tiny problem: She didnt
like me.
On that fateful night when
she finally told me in the nicest,
sweetest, most loving way, Bo,
get out of my life, I cried buckets
of tears.
But I wondered, What is
the lesson here? Can my tears
be used for good? Because of
the water shortage, I used my

bucket of tears to flush the toilet.

The waiting continuedand it
was excruciating. What did God
want me to do with my life?
At the age of 28, I met a
beautiful young woman at my
officeapplying for work.
B ut at that time, I was
seriously considering becoming
a priestor becoming a celibate
laymanwaiting for Gods go
signal.
S o I b r u s h e d ro m a n t i c
thoughts aside and decided to
look at her the way I looked at
a piece of furniture. So to me,
she was one of the monoblock
chairs in the office.
This strategy worked.
B ut sometimes, I found
myself secretly gazing at this
monoblock chair for no apparent
reason.
I gave myself two years to
discern if celibacy was my call.
So no dating. No romantic
Soulfood / B7

FILE PHOTO

Soulfood

in the peace of Christ.

Why do we pray for our deceased loved ones? Why do we
have this celebration today, the Commemo-ration of All Souls?
Why do we dedicate the month of November to praying for
the dead? Why do we have funeral Masses?
We do all these things because we believe in the power of
prayer. We believe that our continual entreaty to God to bring
our loved ones to peace will prepare them to bear the fullness
of His Love in heaven.
We pray because we believe in love. We believe that true
love, the love that flows from God and returns to Him, true
love remains forever. We sincerely loved the members of our
family, our friends and all who have died. And we still love
them. This love which is looking for nothing other than to
express itself is sacrificial love. It is loving as Jesus loved. We
are not expecting anything in return. We just want to express
our love others. We do this through prayer.
And God hears our prayers and sees the love motivated
by those who have died. Some of these loved ones are fully
united to Him now. They are the saints, be they canonized
by the Church, babies and little children, or older children,
Teens and adults all who died with lives so pure, so sincere,

Departed / B7

Social Concerns

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

B7

Final Call: Walk the Climate Talk

The climate walkers,

about 30 of them,
are estimated to walk
about 1,000 kilometers
in 40 days.

FILE PHOTO

Ongoing right now is Climate Walk

which cries for climate justice, that
is, calling on everyone concerned to
respond urgently to the deteriorating
condition of the earth due to global
warming and climate change.
While talks regarding the
issue are relentless in the United
Nations, individual countries, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs),
Peoples Organizations (POs), and
Church Organizations (COs), are
all contributing their voices and
resources to this cause. Furthermore,
some individuals, like Commissioner
Naderev Sano, who is leading the
Climate Walk, are intensifying the
awareness and the need for a unified
action.
Climate Walk was launched in the
early morning of October 2, 2014 near
the carabao statues at the Luneta
Park. Commissioner Yeb Sano, joined
by two other Climate Commission
members, Heherson Alvarez and
D i n g d o n g Av a n z a d o , w h o l e d
various concerned organizations in
intensifying the action in obtaining
climate justice. The move is promoted
as a walk, From Kilometer Zero
to Ground Zero, referring to the
zero kilometer mark in Luneta to
the center of Yolandas devastation,
Tacloban City. The climate walkers,
about 30 of them, are estimated to
walk about 1,000 kilometers in 40
days. Every day they will walk in
the morning, give some talks in the
afternoon and rest in the evening.
Parishes along the way, with the
help of the Ministry of Ecology of
the Archdiocese of Manila, will take
care of the accommodations of the
climate walkers.

FILE PHOTO

By Fr. Benny Tuazon

Another climate walk was supposed

to have happened around Manila
last September 19. However, due to
inclement weather, the walk which
would have included His Eminence
Luis Antonio Cardinal G. Tagle, D.D.,
was postponed. A mass presided
over by the cardinal, a sharing by

Commissioner Sano regarding his

experiences, especially his recent
visit to the Arctic, and a salo-salo
followed after. It was supposed
to synchronize with the Climate
March event before the start of the
Climate Summit in New York City.
Walk the climate talk, is the battle
cry. A lot of talks had been done but
few actions and implementations are
happening. It seems that this problem
of lack of committed human action
had invaded even these people who
had been tasked and given the power
to address them. Every year, about six
international meetings are being done.
Yet, arriving at a concrete and common
action is still hanging and long in
coming. Even locally, our Congress
had created a lot of laws to address

environmental concerns. However,

these beautifully crafted laws are left
unimplemented, if not disregarded.
Some of these laws are: Philippine
Clean Air Act of 1999 (R.A 8749);
Philippine Solid Waste Management
Program of 2001 (R.A. 9003); and
The Renewable Energy Act of 2008
(R.A. 9513). The Clean Air Act is
being taken for granted as evidenced
by the burning of thrash and other
materials. R.A. 9003 is supposed to
be spearheaded and implemented
by the local government officials.
Yet, they are the ones in violation of
some provisions by still contracting
a garbage collecting company and by
not instituting segregation practices
in the community.
Lastly, the Renewable Energy Act,
the supposed wonder fuel of the
Philippines due to its high potential
in renewables, did not proceed as
expected after the passage of the
law. Add to that the mixed signals
being sent by our present president
who either doubts it, will give it a
chance, fully supports it, or is just
issuing statements for the press.
The climate change issue is a global
issue that requires a global response.
Global meetings agree that it is real
and had been caused by human
activities. Nations also agree that
there is urgency in addressing them
and sacrifices must be made.
It is also unquestionably believed
that the devastations will be beyond
what we can measure. Thus, as far
as principles and basic things are
concerned, we are knowledgeable
and aware. Just one thing is lacking:
common committed and sustained
action. And it happens to be the better
part. In our younger days, we say,
Puro wento, wala namang wenta!
(All talks, no action!)

Funeral / B2

leaves a sense of shock and

loss. However, the Churchs
funeral liturgy is a rich source
of consolation and hope at this
difficult time.
4 Reception of the Body at
the Church. This rite signifies
the transition from the private
expression of the personal
grief of the family in the
home to the more public
liturgical expression of the local
parish communitys prayerful
support for the deceased and
relatives.
5 Funeral Mass. The
Funeral Mass is the central
l i t u rg i c a l c e l e b r a t i o n f o r
the deceased. Relatives
and friends are welcome to
actively participate in the
celebration of the Mass. Such
active involvement in the

Mass includes the reading

o f S c r i p t u re , re c i t i n g t h e
prayers of the faithful and
the presentation of the gifts.
However, grieving relatives
should not feel obliged to
engage in public performance
on such a sad occasion.
Word of God Homily.
The homily, delivered by the
priest or deacon, focuses on
the Christians belief in the
resurrection, thus offering hope
and consolation to mourners
and faithful in general. While
the homilist may refer to the
deceaseds efforts to live the
Christian life, the homily is
not a eulogy.
Prayers of the Faithful. In
the prayers of the faithful the
Christian community calls
upon God to bring comfort

to the bereaved and to show

mercy to the deceased. Family
members or friends who wish to
compose these prayers should
consult with the celebrant
of the Mass to ensure that
these intercessions conform to
liturgical norms.
6 Presentation of Gifts. It
is desirable that relatives or
friends of the deceased present
the bread and wine for the
Eucharistic celebration. It is not
appropriate at this time to bring
forward other emblems of the
deceaseds life and interests. As
previously indicated (cf. No 4
above) such emblems may, if
required, be brought forward
at the Reception of the Body
at the Church, or prior to the
commencement of the Funeral
Mass.

Departed / B6

that they are ready to endure the

blaze of His Love.
Some of our loved ones are not
ready to enter into His Presence.
The results of their sins is still
affecting them. Just like an arm
broken many years ago still hurts
when the weather changes, the
deceased who is forgiven his or
her sins still suffers the result
of the sin. But Gods love is
motivated by the love this person
inspired in others, seen in their
constant prayer. These prayers
lead Him to heal the results of sin,
or as we say in the terminology
of the Church, to free them from
Purgatory. This was presented
beautifully and succinctly by
Dante Alighieri in the second
book of the Divine Comedy, The
Purgatorio. There he presents
the souls in purgatory as holding
themselves back from climbing
the mountain of God until they
are able to accept the fulness of
His Love. They are dependent
on the prayers of their loved ones

7 Music and Hymns.

Appropriate music and
hymns enhance the funeral
liturgy and are recommended.
Many parishes have choirs
and organists available to
participate in Funeral Masses.
When choosing suitable
hymns and music for the
funeral liturgy relatives of the
deceased should consult with
the celebrant and/or parish
organist and choir. This is
particularly important when
outside musicians or cantors
are engaged to lead music and
song in the funeral liturgy.
Secular lyrics have no place
in the Churchs sacred liturgy.
O n o c c a s i o n , a p p ro p r i a t e
secular music, especially
instrumental music, can
enhance the funeral liturgy.

Judgment regarding the

appropriateness of such
music should be made by
the celebrant and/or parish
organist.
10 Address. Should a relative
or friend of the deceased wish
to deliver an address on the
occasion of a funeral a number
of options are available: The
address, which is a resume
of and tribute to the life and
achievements of the deceased,
is most appropriately delivered
at the graveside following
interment. The following
arrangements apply where
relatives wish to have an
address in church; i. The
address, which should be
brief, may be delivered either
at the end of the ceremony
of Reception of the Body;

prior to the Funeral Mass or

at the conclusion of the Final
Commendation following
the Funeral Mass. ii. The
sentiments expressed in an
address delivered in church
should be in harmony with
the sacred surroundings of the
house of God and the funeral
liturgy. iii. Hence, the person
delivering the address should
discuss the matter with the
celebrant in advance. iv. It is
not appropriate to deliver an
address during the celebration
of Mass.
These guidelines are
representative of sound
liturgical principles. However,
each diocese would usually
have its own norms so as
to adapt to particular local
customs.

to light, and to the meaning

of life.
The high point which sums
up all the threads of communion with God and neighbor
is the Sunday Eucharist when
the family and the whole
Church sits at table with the
Lord. He gives himself to all
of us, pilgrims through history
towards the goal of the final
encounter when Christ is all
and in all. In the first stage of
our Synod itinerary, therefore,
we have reflected on how to
accompany those who have
been divorced and remarried
and on their participation in
the sacraments.
We Synod Fathers ask you
walk with us towards the
next Synod. The presence of
the family of Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph in their modest home
hovers over you. United to the
Family of Nazareth, we raise
to the Father of all our petition
for the families of the world:

Father, grant to all families

the presence of strong and
wise spouses who may be the
source of a free and united
family.
Father, grant that parents
may have a home in which
to live in peace with their
families.
Father, grant that children
may be a sign of trust and
hope and that young people
may have the courage to
forge life-long, faithful commitments.
Father, grant to all that they
may be able to earn bread with
their hands, that they may
enjoy serenity of spirit and
that they may keep aflame the
torch of faith even in periods
of darkness.
Father, grant that we may
all see flourish a Church that
is ever more faithful and credible, a just and humane city, a
world that loves truth, justice
and mercy.

Family / B4

still on earth to prepare them to

receive the fire of Gods love.
The power of prayer is far
greater, infinitely greater than
we could ever imagine. Often
when we pray we call on the
strength of the Almighty One to
perform an action beyond our
capabilities, but not beyond His.
Today, we pray that the Lord
heals the wounds of all who are
not yet ready to enter into the
fulness of His presence. May
they be healed. May any part of
their lives that have been closed
to Love be completely open to
the Presence of God.
So we pray today for our
deceased parents, spouses,
children, relatives, and friends.
We know that they were good
people. But we also know that
they were people. We want
them to be capable of receiving
the full blast of Gods love; so
we pray for them. We celebrate
funeral Masses, for that is the
prayer of Jesus on the Cross

for the deceased, the greatest

prayer we could offer. We have
additional Masses said for our
loved ones throughout the year.
We remember them in our daily
prayers. And we pray for them
particularly on today, All Souls
Day, and throughout the month
of November.
We are all united in the
Community of the Church. We
are united to the saints in their
triumph. We are united with
the souls in purgatory in their
preparation for triumph. And
the saints in heaven and the souls
in purgatory are united with us
in our efforts to make Christ a
reality in our world.
I will reject no one who comes
to me, the Lord said in our
gospel for today, John 6:37 We
trust in the God who loves us to
care for us and our loved ones in
life and in death. And so we pray,
May the souls of the faithful
departed through the mercy of
God rest in peace.

to the Word of Goda small,

daily oasis of the spirit. They
discover him every day as
they educate their children
in the faith and in the beauty
of a life lived according to
the Gospel, a life of holiness.
Grandparents also share in this
task with great affection and
dedication. The family is thus
an authentic domestic Church
that expands to become the
family of families which is the
ecclesial community. Christian
spouses are called to become
teachers of faith and of love for
young couples as well.
Another expression of fraternal communion is charity,
giving, nearness to those who
are last, marginalized, poor,
lonely, sick, strangers, and
families in crisis, aware of
the Lords word, It is more
blessed to give than to receive. It is a gift of goods, of
fellowship, of love and mercy,
and also a witness to the truth,

Soulfood / B6

actuations. No girlfriends.
At age 30, I went to a retreat on
a mountaintop with no one else
but God, my Bible, and a wise
Jesuit priest, to finally decide
what I wanted to do with my life.
One week later, I went down
from the mountain with a
mandate from the Almighty to
get married.
And so I remembered that
lovely monoblock chair in the
office.
So I courted her. I begged.
I pleaded. I stalked her like a
predator.
A nd when all that didnt
work, I quietly said, Im your
boss. Ill fire you if you dont
agree to my proposal. She
called my bluff and submitted
her resignation papers the next
day. In desperation, I closed my
eyes and stretched my hands
towards her and shouted, IN
JESUS NAME, you will fall in
love with me! Shalalalala.

Okay, thats not how it exactly

happened either. The important
thing is that at age 32, I married
herand its been an amazing
journey.
Yes, life is a journey with lots
and lots and lots of waiting.
And it seems as if nothing is
happening right now.
We need to enjoy that
j o u r n e y t o re l i s h , t a s t e ,
celebrate, and breathe in all the
waiting, all the detours, all the
craziness, all the misfires and
failures and bruises.
And I have also realized
that everything that happens in
life are lessons. In other words,
put your bucket of tears to good
use.
No, I wasnt serious about
flushing the toilet. Use your
tears to make you more mature.
Stronger. Wiser. Always ask
yourself the question, What is
this experience teaching me?
Friends, learn all you can.

CBCPMonitor
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Entertainment

B8
Moral Assessment

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary

On a self-imposed retirement
and turning his back on his
unexplained past, Robert
McCall (Denzel Washington)
is an unobtrusive and affable
figure who lives alone and
daily takes the bus to work.
He leads a quiet life working
as a shelf-stocker at a home
improvement chain store; his
spare apartment, all-natural
diet, his mantra body-mindspirit, and his neat appearance
indicate his passion for order.
An insomniac, he whiles away
his nights reading a book while
sipping tea at a nearby diner
where he meets Teri (Chlo
Grace Moretz), an underage
prostitute shabbily treated by
her Russian handlers.
The equalizer in the story is
a retired CIA agent programmed
to kill, and it is in this area that
The Equalizer earns points for
its lead stars performance as
a well-intentioned, conflicted
killing machine, a perfect role
for 59-year old Washington.
The plot is as old as time itself,
drawing inspiration from the
welding of Robin Hood and
MacGyver attributes, and rather
predictable: the exploited and
helpless are helped by a character

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

DIRECTOR: Antoine Fuqua

LEAD CAST: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas,
Chlo Grace Moretz,
David Harbour, Haley
Bennett, Bill Pullman,
Melissa Leo
SCREENWRITER: Richard
Wenk, Michael Sloan
GENRE: Action, Crime,
Thriller
LOCATION: USA
DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia
Pictures
RUNNING TIME: 132 minutes
Technical Assessment:

Moral Assessment:
MTRCB rating: R16
CINEMA rating: V18

who cant remain unmoved by

injustice. The protagonist is
no superhero boasting (CGIassisted) superhuman feats;
and although his efficiency in
accomplishing his murderous
objectives is quite remarkable,
his genius still falls within the
bounds of human possibilities.
What can the viewer bring
home from watching a slow-burn
thriller thats The Equalizer?

The story is not about gangsters

although it condemns them, nor
about the oppressed although it
defends them; it is a character
study about a man seeking
redemption from his past
transgressions but knows of only
one path to find it. If the skill to
kill were a gift, this equalizer
would be super-gifted. In any
given situation the killer is in
his elements, moved more by
intuition than by instinct, a
made and not a born murderer.
The tandem of director Fuqua
and actor Washington (Oscar
winner in Training Day) works
well to make a heroic figure
out of a criminal. Here lies the
danger: a congenial actor playing
a vigilante figure would make
it easier for viewers to cheer
for violence, after all, the bad
guys are consummate masters
of atrocity here. As you, the
viewer, leave the cinema and
The Equalizer sinks deeper
into your mind and images of
the brutal killings done in the
name of justice cling to your
memory, you might want to
ponder the gray zone humanity
has wandered intomaking
the wrong choices to get to the
right place.

Brothers Matias

The Trial
DIRECTOR: Chito
Rono
LEAD CAST:
John Lloyd
Cruz, Richard
Gomez, Jessy
Mendiola,
Gretchen
Barretto,
Enique
Gil, Sylvia
Sanches,
Vincent de
Jesus
PRODUCER: Star
Cinema
GENRE: Family
drama
LOCATION:
Philippines
RUNNING TIME:
132 minutes
Technical
Assessment:

Moral
Assessment:

MTRCB rating: R13

CINEMA rating:
V14

Guwapo at mabait pero mentally

challenged si Ronald, (John Lloyd Cruz),
naglilingkod bilang hardinero sa isang
paaralan upang makapagtapos siya ng
elementarya. Nagsisilbing tutor niya
ang gurong si Bessy (Jessy Mendiola)
na itinuturing naman siyang kaibigan.
Ngunit in love si Ronald kay Bessy, at
sa kanyang payak na pang-unawa, mahal
din siya ni Bessy. May kakalat na video ng
dalawa na mukhang ginagahasa ni Ronald
Nang mapag-alaman ng mayamang
negosyanteng si Ricky (Robert Arevalo)
na nauubos na ang kanyang yaman,
nakita niya ito bilang resulta ng pagiging
maluho ng kanyang mag-anak na
nahirati na sa marangyang buhay. Dahil
dito, upang paigtingin ang kanyang
punto, nagdesisyon siyang bumalik
sa lugar kung saan siya nagmula bago
siya umasensoang Tondo. Magbabalik
siya sa lugar at maninirahan sa isang
pag-aari niyang gusali. Hahamunin din
ni Ricky ang kanyang dalawang apo
(Cris Villonco at Rafa Siguion-Reyna)
na sumama sa kanya upang mas lalo
pa silang matuto sa buhaymalayo sa
karangyaan na kanilang kinagisnan.
Tutol naman dito ang mga anak at
manugang ni Ricky (Eric Quizon, Ali
Sotto, Audie Gemora) kayat gagawa
sila ng paraan upang isabotahe ang
plano ni Ricky sa pamamagitan ng
pakikipagsabwatan sa katiwala (Rez
Cortez) nito.
Malinis ang pagkakagawa ng Hari
ng Tondo. Mayroon itong kwentong
busilak sa katotohanan ng lipunan at
naglalayong imulat ang manonood
sa maraming usapin na malimit ay
nakakaligtaan. Naiparating nito ang

Vol. 18 No. 22

October 27 - November 9, 2014

Technical Assessment

The Equalizer

Buhay San Miguel

CBCP Monitor

si Bessy. Madedemanda si Ronald ng

rape, at magsisimula ang masalimuot
na takbo ng tahimik nilang buhay.
Maganda at nakaduduro ng isipan ang
kuwentong hinangad na isalaysay ng The
Trial, at hindi rin karaniwan ang ganitong
tema sa industriya ng pelikulang Pilipino,
bagay na nagsilbing hamon sa mga
nagsiganap. Bagamat pasado naman ang
pagganap ng karamihan sa mga tauhan,
minsan ay magaralgal ang atake nila

Gomez at Lloyd Cruz sa kani-kaniyang

mga papelnasasapawan ng kanilang
imahen bilang mga artista ang katauhang
kanilang kinakatawan sa pelikula. Yon
bang, hindi ka nila madala sa pag-arte
nila, naroon pa rin sa likuran ng isip mo
na Sine lang yan, yan si John Lloyd,
iyan si Richard. Hindi rin makinis ang
pagkakatagni-tagni ng mga pangyayari,
para tuloy inimbento lang ang storya
para makagawa lang ng pelikula. Kulang
sa realismo ang characterization, at
maraming daplis o inconsistency
ang katauhan ni Ronald, pero maayos
ang pagkakaguhit ng ginampanan ni
Mendiola.
Maganda ang hangarin ng The Trial
na ipagtanggol ang mga kapos sa
kakayahan ng isip, at batikusin ang mga
huwad na pagmamamabuti ng ilang mga
nakaaangat sa buhay. Sanay pinalalim
pa nito ang mensaheng iyon, pero hindi
ito nangyari. May isang malaki at maling
hakbanging ginawa ang The Trial na
nakabawas sa kabubuan ng magandang
hangarin at mga katangian nito. Iyon ay
ang pagtuon ng labis na pansin sa relasyon
ng mag-asawang Gomez at Baretto bilang
Atty. Julian at Amanda Bien na tumutulong
sa kaso ni Ronald. Talos naming dapat
sabikin ang manonood sa katotohanang
huhubaran sa dulo ng pelikula, pero
nakaka-labnaw sa halaga ng pangunahing
mensahe ng The Trial sub-plot ng magasawang magusot ang buhay. Oo ngat
mabuti ang ipinakitang pagpapatawad
at pagkakasundo ng mag-asawa pero
minadali ito, kulang sa lalimbagay na
naging sanhi ng pagsasanga ng layunin
ng pelikula. Pag may nagtanong sa iyo
tuloy kung tungkol ba sa ano yung The
Trial, malamang hindi mo masasabi kung
ito bay tungkol sa paglilitis na mag-aangat
sa ating kamalayan hinggil sa taong tulad
ni Ronald, o tungkol sa happy ending na
dinala ng paglilitis? Kayo ang humusga.

HARI NG
TONDO
DIRECTOR: Carlos
Siguion-Reyna
LEAD CAST: Robert
Arevalo, Rez Cortez,
Cris Villonco
SCREENWRITER: Bibeth
Orteza
PRODUCER: Bibeth
Orteza
PRODUCTION
COMPANIES: Reyna
Films, Central Digital
Labs
EDITOR: Manet Dayrit
GENRE: Drama, Family
CINEMATOGRAPHER:
Jay Abello
DISTRIBUTOR: Star
Cinema Productions
LOCATION: Philippines
RUNNING TIME: 91 mins
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:

CINEMA Rating: V 14

Know St.
Teresa of Avila
I want to see God!
Very early in life, Teresa already wanted to see God.
When she was about seven years old, she prevailed upon
her younger brother Rodrigo to run off to the land of the
Moors to offer themselves as martyrs. She was ready to be
beheaded, because in her young mind it was the only way
to see God. Well, it turned out God had other plans for her.
An uncle met Teresa and Rodrigo outside the walls of Avila
and took them back home to their anxious parents.
An unusually active, imaginative, and sensitive child, Teresa
was the third of nine children born to Doa Beatriz Davila
y Ahumada and Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda, a convert
from Judaism. My father was fond of reading good books
These good books,
together with the care
my mother took to
have us pray and be
devoted to Our Lady
and some of the Saints
began to awaken me to
practice virtue. (The
Book of Her Life 1:7)
When Teresas plan
to be beheaded was
aborted, she instantly
changed plans. She
now persuaded
Rodrigo that if they
could not be martyrs,
they might as well
become hermits. So
they built hermitages
from stones in the gardenmuch like children today would
build sand castles on the beach. Instead of being like other
girls who would play house at that age, Teresa would be
fascinated by the holy. We now see that religious thoughts
and influences already dominated her mind in childhood,
to such an extent that she would in time write The truth I
knew in childhood: the nothingness of all things, the vanity
of the world all things of this world will pass away God
alone is for ever, ever, ever! (The Book of Her Life 1:4, 3:5)
(To be continued)

mensahe sa pamamaraang hindi

melodramatiko at malabis na realismo
kundi sa mahusay na paghahalo ng
drama at katatawananang resultay
isang bagong mukha ng Tondo, isang
Tondong puno ng pag-asa sa kabila
ng dumi at kahirapan. Bagay na
bihira nating masaksihan. Walang
itulak-kabigin sa galling ng pagganap
ni Arevalo pati na ng lahat ng mga
nagsiganap. Natural ang kanilang pagarte at nababagay sila sa kani-kanyang
papel. Sila ang mga nagpa-igting sa
kabuuang galing ng pelikula. Maganda
at maayos din ang kuha ng kamera. Ang
daloy naman ng kuwento ay madaling
sundan at may maayos na sangasangang kuwento na sumasalamin sa
mukha ng Tondo.
Isang mundo na desperado,
nakasadlak sa kahirapan ngunit
nanatiling may pag-asaiyan ang
bagong Tondo na ipinakita sa pelikula.
Kahanga-hanga ang pagpapaigting
nito sa mensaheng hindi salapi ang
pinakamahalaga sa buhay ng tao kundi
ang pakikipagkapwa-tao. Ang pera ay
maaring mawala ngunit ang relasyon
na inalagaan ay parating nandiyan.
Niyakap din ng pelikula ang kahulugan

ng simpleng pamumuhay na siyang susi

sa tunay na kaligayahan. Ang tunay
na pagmamahal ay hindi nasusukat
sa yaman o panlabas na anyo kundi sa
nilalaman ng puso. Iyun nga lang, may
ilang maseselang eksena ng pagtatalik
ng hindi pa mag-asawa, pati na ang
pagkondena sa homoseksualidad
na sadyang nakakabahalabaka
matularan at isipin ng mga batang
manonood na ito ay tama sapagkat
walang malinaw na tinig ang pelikula
ukol ditobagkus ay kinu-kunsinti pa
nga, maliban na lamang kung ang isa
ay nang-aabuso na. Kahanga-hanga
rin kung paanong naninindigan ang
mga kababaihan ng pelikula laban
sa karahasan at pang-aabuso ng
kalalakihan sa babae. Sa bandang
huliy mag-iiwan ng mahalagang
aral ang pelikula ukol sa buhay at sa
lipunang ating ginagalawanna dapat
tayong maging bukas sa problema
ng paligid at huwag kalimutan ang
ating pananagutan sa kapwa marating
man natin ang rurok ng tagumpay
at pagtamasa ng ginhawa, bagay na
ininuturo sa atin ng Simbahanang
mahalin ang Diyos, kasunod ang
kapwa.

The Cross

A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of Columbus

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 18. No. 22 | October 27 - November 9, 2014

Parish-based promotions on
the Cause of Fr. Willmann

The National Executive Committee for the Cause of Fr.

George J. Willmann, SJ (NEC)
acknowledges the following
for their help in promoting
the Cause of Fr. Willmann in
different parishes in Manila:

Archdiocesan Shrine of Espiritu Santo

in Rizal Ave., Sta. Cruz, Manila headed
by Parish Priest, Rev. Msgr. Alberto
Salonga and volunteers led by the La
Liga del Espiritu Santo during the promotional activity held last October 13;
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (Chinese - Personal Parish) in Ongpin St.,
Binondo, Manila led by Parish Priest,
Rev. Fr. Luis Sierra OP and volunteers
Lorenzo Ruiz Academy together with
March Scent Quirino Capistrano and
Jerbrain Bron last October 14; Saint Peter
the Apostle Parish in Pres. Quirino Ave.
Corner U.N. Ave St. Paco, Manila led
by Parish Priest, Rev. Msgr. Noly Que,
LRMS last October 15; Saint Anthony
of Padua Parish in Singalong St. San
Andres, Manila headed by Parish Priest,
Rev. Fr. Benito B. Tuazon last October 16;
San Fernando de Dilao Parish in Paz St.
Cor. Pedro Gil St. Paco Manila led by
Parish Priest, Rev. Msgr. Rolando dela
Cruz last October 17; St. Peter Parish:
Shrine of Leaders in Commonwealth
Avenue, Quezon City through Youth
Militia Immaculata headed by Bro.
Jhonsen Sales last October 18.
The National Executive Committee
for the Cause of Fr. George J. Willmann,
SJ started conducting awareness campaigns in the different parishes across
Metro Manila last September 2014 in
coordination with different organizations, associations and individuals.
To all parish priests and leaders who
have welcomed the committee for the
Cause of Fr. Willmann, thank you so
much for your time and support. We
are glad to have been part of your activities/events.
Invite us to visit your respective
parishes/organizations to promote the
heroic virtues of Fr. George J. Willmann,
SJ. For inquiries please call, (02) 9848368. (KC News)

KC Foundation Scholar places 5th in

Electronics Engineering Licensure Exam
KC Foundation scholar Ivan V.
Parayno placed 5th out of 4,851
takers in the recently concluded
Electronics Engineering (ECE)
Licensure Examination given by
the Board of Engineering. Ivan
is the son of Bro. Ernesto and Sis.
Cecilia Parayno of Panghulo,
Malabon City. He is currently a
second degree member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Council
10291, Maysilo, Malabon City.
Engr. Parayno was the valedictorian of his batch in elementary

and high school. Moreover, he

graduated Summa cum laude
upon obtaining his degree in
Electronics and Communications Engineering last April
2014 at the University of the
East Caloocan. He was also a
College Distinguished Graduate
Awardee of the UE College of
Engineering-Caloocan. Engr. Parayno was a scholar-beneficiary
of the Knights of Columbus Philippines Foundation, Inc. from
2009 to 2014.

The Birth of Kompass Credit and Financing

Corporation (KCFC)
Committed to provide more economic opportunities for the members of the Knights of Columbus
and the general public, the Knights of Columbus
Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc.
(KCFAPI), organized a new financing company,
the Kompass Credit and Financing Corporation
(KCFC).
As a wholly-owned company of KCFAPI, Kompass Credit and Financing Corporation offers different financial services namely: Housing Loan,
Car Loan, Business Loan, Salary Loan and Credit
Line facilities. With its modest start, KCFC prides
itself in delivering flexible and personalized terms
that will perfectly match the clients needs.
Just like the mariners compass, KCFC provides
direction, vision, inspiration and comfort amidst
life challenges!
KCFC aims to provide financial solutions to
families who want to acquire their own home,
professionals in need of car and businessmen
and companies who need additional capital. It
also aims to provide financial assistance to urgent
economic needs of employees and professionals
through salary loans.
KCFCs Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws
were approved by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) on March 13, 2014, with a P300
Million Authorized Capital Stock. On the same
day, it was also given the authority to transact as
a financing institution.
The Officers and Directors of KCFC are as follows:

23rd PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY. The Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Ferdinand Magellan Province conducted their 23rd
Provincial Assembly last October 4. The event was participated in by KCFAPI Chairman, Alonso L. Tan; KCFAPI Executive Vice
President, Ma. Theresa G. Curia; KCFAPI Vice President for FBG, Gari San Sebastian; Vice Supreme Master, Dionisio Esteban; and
Chairman for the National Executive Committee for the Cause of Fr. George J. Willmann SJ and former Chief Justice, Hilario G.
Davide, Jr. (KC News)

KCFAPI congratulates new Academic Excellence Awardee

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AND OFFICERS
Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. (Ret.)
Chairman
Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento (Ret.)
Vice Chairman
Arsenio Isidro G. Yap President
Raoul A. Villanueva Secretary
Ruben L. Gutierrez Treasurer
Ramoncito A. Ocampo Director
Pascual C. Carbero Director
Ma. Theresa G. Curia General Manager &
Executive Vice President
Angelito A. Bala Vice President - Credit & Loans
Mary Magdalene G. Flores Vice President Treasury / Finance
Pedro P. Lubenia Internal Audit Manager
Rowena M. Diapolit Accounting Manager
Ma. Kristianne G. Pascual Personnel Services
Manager
Atty. Neil Jerome A. Rapatan Legal Services
Manager
Saturnino J. Galang, Jr. Marketing & Sales
Manager
For interested parties who wish to know more
about KCFC and its financial services, you may
contact trunkline 527-22-23 loc. 172. (Atty. Neil
Jerome A. Rapatan)

The Members of the Board

of Trustees of the Knights
of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines,
Inc. (KCFAPI) led by President Arsenio Isidro G. Yap
and Chairman Alonso L. Tan
awarded the Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ Academic Excellence
Award to Sophia G. Curia for
passing the CPA Licensure
Examination.
Sophia completed her de-

gree in BS Accountancy from

the De La Salle University.
She is the daughter of KCFAPI
Executive Vice President, Ma.
Theresa G. Curia and PGK
Harry R. Curia of Makinabang
Council 10104.
She will take her Oath of
Profession on December 9, 2014
as she enters her practice of accountancy with the Philippines
largest professional services
firm, the SGV & Co.

The following were also present during the awarding and

extended their congratulations
to Sophia G. Curia, CPA: Msgr.
Pedro C. Quitorio III, Chief
Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr.,
Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. Bro.
Raoul A. Villanueva, Visayas
Deputy Rodrigo N. Sorongon,
Mindanao Deputy Balbino C.
Fauni, Atty. Rogelio V. Garcia,
Bro. Juan Abraham O. Abando
and Christian Arriola.

The Cross

C2
Alonso L. Tan

Ma. Theresa G. Curia

Chairmans Message

CURIA Settings

All Saints Day / All Souls Day

This November issue we talk about
the month for our beloved departed
as we celebrate All Saints Day and All
Souls Day. As the common tradition of
many Filipinos, we brace ourselves to
face the irritating traffic snarls, the seemingly endless search for parking space,
the chaotic maze of cemetery visitors,
all forms and kinds of tents, umbrellas, tarpaulins, makeshift graveyard
fences made up of all kinds of string or
recently-cut wooden branches and of course, tons of garbage scattered everywhere; not to mention the eternity of noise pollution
coming from all areas.
Despite all these, we still go to the cemeteries or memorial parks
to visit our departed loved ones. By this time, people have many
reasons to follow this tradition primarily to visit the dead, but more
and more individuals have found other reasons such as meeting
long-lost relatives and friends or just to go sightseeing to curiously
watch how others celebrate these days.
As the holiday names indicate, November 1 is All Saints Day a
day to remember and pray to the multitude of Saints whose holy
lives and traits we need to emulate in our daily routines. On the
other hand, November 2 is All Souls Day the day allocated for
our remembering of our departed loved ones family, relatives and
friends. For those who have little to do at home, they take advantage
of these days to go out and socialize. For those who have little space
at home, this is a great excuse to spend time at the more spacious
outside and join the huge crowds of cemetery-goers celebrating
in whatever way they can.
It seems there is now no distinction between All Saints Day and
All Souls Day as they both involve the souls who have left this
earth and gone ahead. Though the pronounced saints may be more
popular for prayers of intercession, we also pray to our own loved
ones for we know that they will take care of their own flesh and
blood. The basic requirement is Prayer!
For the Knights of Columbus, November usually finds Councils
and Districts holding their respective Memorial Day Ceremonies
for their departed brother knights. Let us pray to the Saints, our
departed relatives and brother knights for their guidance and
intercession to the Lord. Let us be true and practicing Catholics in
our ordinary daily lives as we also pray to our departed loved ones
to take care of us and give us strength to meet lifes challenges; because if they were still alive, they would probably be sharing these
experiences with us.
Let us pray to the Saints and the departed that they may all find
their way to heaven. In turn, once they are with God, they will be
our prayer warriors to the Lord.
Vivat Jesus.

Arsenio Isidro G. Yap

Presidents Message
Its that time of the year again wherein we
remember our dead. The Filipino tradition
of honoring its dead is nowhere to be found
anywhere else in the world. We do not just
honor our dead on All Souls Day but primarily on All Saints Day. We think of them as
saints and remember or recollect all the good
things they had done while they were still
alive and very quick to forgive or ignore the
many faults that they had committed. Youll
hear people say, Patawarin mo na, patay
na naman eh, Kalimutan mo na pagkakamali o pagkukulang
niya at alalahanin mo na lang ang magagandang nagawa niya.
Thats the normal advice of people against those with resentments
on their dead.
In preparing to honor our dead, many would trek to the cemeteries weeks ahead of November 1 to clean the graves of their loved
ones for the much awaited All Saints Day. On the day of choice or
on November 1 for the greater majority, it means a whole day of
picnic and celebration in the cemetery as if our loved ones are very
much alive and in our midst. Reminiscing all day long all the things
they had done including the naughty things to the burst of laughter
from all present. For some, its even an overnight affair. Thats just
to show how much we love those who had gone before us and how
much we terribly miss them.
What should we really do for our dead in remembering and
honoring them? Of course, we need to pray for the eternal repose
of their souls and forgive them of their faults against us. We should
also visit their grave not only on All Saints or All Souls Day but
also on other occasions such as their birth and death anniversaries
and other important occasions in their life. Better still as often as we
can visit them, the better. We should also have masses offered for
them and include them in our daily prayers.
But what is the fastest way for them to earn their spot in heaven?
I dont think theres a definite answer to that. Masses would be the
top choice. Prayers upon prayers would be a big help. Litanies of
Rosaries is also a major choice. The next question is, why do we
need to pray for them? I once posed this question to the late Bishop
Godofredo Pedernal and he said we need to pray for them because
poor souls in purgatory could no longer pray for the atonement of
their sins. Thats why we need to pray for them as often as we can
to aid them in their journey to heaven.
Praying for the dead not only for our loved ones, is very beneficial
for us who are still living. For as often as we pray for them, they
in turn also pray for us. Its like a give and take situation, the more
we give, the more we will get. The more prayers we offer for our
dead the more prayers they would say for us. Its also like helping
someone in need but when our time of need comes, we have something to draw on.
Keep praying for our dead and the poor souls in purgatory and
in return our rewards would be heavenly.

A Little Prayer,
Thatll Do
Its that time of the year again when people buy flowers not
for their lovers, light some candles but not to be placed on top
of a birthday cake, and cook food but not for a party. Some
even make a procession in fancy costumes, offer Eucharistic
celebrations, do festivities or rituals with offerings, adorn
graves with flowers, puppets and lights, and whatnot. No
matter how anyone observes it, its universal that people
commemorate the departed. For the modern population it
might seem just a tradition or an entertaining celebration.
Yes, you go to the resting place of a friend or relative, place
the flowers on the grave, and light a candle. And then, what?
You go home and continue with your daily routine. Arent
you forgetting something? Whoever you visited will chase
you and tickle you with the flower you offered saying, Hey,
thanks for coming but werent you suppose to do something
else for me? Pray maybe, just saying. Then he or she scurries
off, heartbroken. What will you do then?
A Little Prayer / C3

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22 | October 27 - November 9, 2014

November is for Our Saints, Our Family Saints and Us

On November 1, we celebrate All Saints
Day.
Saints are the men and women whom
the Church hierarchy officially recognize to
be heroes of our faith. The long process of
canonization investigates facts, witnesses
and evidences that prove that these persons
lived exemplary holy lives and died as
faithful children of God and of the Church.
Saints are those who lived the teachings
of Jesus in heroic, radical ways. They are
extraordinary models of our obedience
in faith and of discipleship. These are the
outstanding members of our universal
Christian family.
When the Church authorities declare
them as Saints, they tell us that these holy
individuals have reached what we all aspire
for. They have shown the world our dignity
and destiny as children of God. Indeed,
they are now experiencing the highest goal
of our community that of being one with
God. They have fully accomplished our
mission to make the Kingdom possible on
earth and some day we shall be where our
Saints are.
Honoring them is our way of living
out the Communion of saints. We venerate them and connect with them through
prayer asking for their intercession for our
needs. We likewise express our desire to
imitate their virtues in our lives.
The following day, November 2, we
remember our beloved relatives who have
gone ahead of us.
We believe that one day they shall also
be saints who rejoice fully in the presence
of God. That is why we offer prayers and
even novena masses for the peace of their
soul. Even if their names do not appear on
the calendar of Saints, we know that our
beloved dead are also embraced by the
love of God.
Until when shall we pray for them?
When will God listen to our prayers and lift
them up to heaven? While waiting for our
prayers to free them for the beatific vision,
where are they? Im afraid that I do not

know how to answer my own questions. I

am not even sure if they are correct questions to ask.
I would rather reflect on the benefits of
remembering our beloved dead. To us,
who pray for our deceased loved ones, I
strongly feel that our prayers work for us,
for we emerge a more bonded community
as we pray. We grow in faith together as we
declare that they are where God is. We grow
in our trust that their sins are forgiven and
that they are in Gods presence. We are sure
of the effects of our prayers on us; we feel
and see them happening among us.
Long after they are gone, we continue
praying and entrusting them to the love
and mercy of God. Sometimes we wonder
if it is our prayer that really makes God lift
them up from where they are. Many times
it occurs to us that our prayers are not the
cause of Gods compassion for our beloved
dead. After all, He loves them much more
than we do. Even before we pray for them,
they are already embraced by God as His
own.
So, why do we offer prayers and masses
for our dead relatives and friends? Isnt
it that we trust that God has already welcomed them into His kingdom? Why do we
go to the cemetery year after year? Why is
a special holy day dedicated for our dead?
Allow me to throw in some of my
thoughts so that we can enrich each others
faith. Please add your own.
Just as we offer prayers for the living,
we also offer prayers for our beloved dead.
As we remember the dead, we accept that
we do not know exactly what will happen
in the after life. As we pray, we express our
belief in what our teachers in faith tell us,
even if things are not very clear to us. We
hold on to the truths that we were taught.
But despite our beliefs, we also have
our unbeliefs, our uncertainties and our
anxieties. We also suffer from our grief in
the separation. And so we pray and connect
with God.
When we are in the dark, we pray, we

hold on to God. Our prayers express our

unknowing of what lie beyond our grave.
And when we pray, we get consoled that
Someone knows. Someone knows us. Somebody knows that we do not know much and
He assures us that it is okay.
When we remember our dead, we
promise to them that we will continue in
our lives what we learned from them and
what they have begun.
We profess our belief that just as they
died, we shall make good use of our lives.
We must be prepared for our own death,
by living a good life.
For where they are we will one day
be, so we must not be afraid to die. It is
not something to be afraid of. There is a
place waiting for us; there is a family to
welcome us there.
Going to the cemetery is not only for
remembering our dead. When we go to
the cemetery, we celebrate a huge family
reunion. It is a day when we go home to
visit and reconnect with our relatives. As
we are united with our beloved dead, we
are more united with the living.
The more we visit the cemetery and
pray for the dead, the more we become
familiar with what will happen to us when
we die. This makes us see how the living
remember the dead. So we know we shall
also be remembered when we are dead.
This lessens our fear of death. This assures
us that we will not be forgotten.
As a summary, I dare say that it is good
to:
Establish good and lasting ties with
our relatives;
Live in joy with the people whom we
love;
Enjoy the blessings of the Lord in our
life;
Live in peace and trust in the Lord;
Life is short; make good use of it;
Our beloved dead are resting in peace
in the home of the Father;
One day we shall be united with the
Saints and our family saints.

Michael P. Cabra

My Brothers Keeper
A Saint or just another Soul?
All Saints' Day is a celebration of all
Christian saints in many Roman Catholic, Anglican and Protestant churches.
In many western churches it is annually
held on November 1 and in many eastern churches it is celebrated on the first
Sunday after Pentecost. It is also known
as All Hallows Tide, All-Hallomas, or All
Hallows' Day.
All Souls Day is a day of almsgiving
and prayers for the dead. The intent is
for the living to assist those in purgatory.
Many western churches annually observe
All Souls Day on November 2 and many
eastern churches celebrate it prior to Lent
and the day before Pentecost.
Most Filipinos, both Christians and
Muslims, spend these days usually praying for their dearly departed, be it in
the cemeteries, churches or even in the
comfort of their own homes. It is also a
time to bond with the living who will be
visiting the tombs of their loved ones.
Oftentimes it becomes a family reunion
since some family members only see each
other during these days. Somehow, the
passing of a dearly beloved also cause

family members to unite and be together

at least during this season.
Speaking of being a reason for the
remaining family members to be united
and be together, have you asked yourself if your untimely demise will be a
reason for uniting or parting of family
members? Statistics show that a lot of
Filipino families with newly deceased
sole breadwinner (either parent) tend to
separate or part ways. It is because the
remaining spouse or the eldest sibling
can no longer afford to provide the basic
necessities like food and shelter. This
usually happens if the sole breadwinner has no life insurance. Hence, a life
insurance policy or a benefit certificate
doesnt only provide financial support
for the beneficiaries but it also serves as a
bonding element for the surviving family
members to stay and be happy together.
We call these type of insurance products as protection plans. They shield the
beneficiaries of the benefit certificate (BC)
holder from the threats to the continuity
of income which in some way or another
affect their way of life. For this need, I

highly recommend our KC Assurance

Plan as the best solution. Contribution
period is only 6 years and it doubles the
family benefit of the BC holder on the
ninth (9th) year. Living benefits provided
by the accumulation of the cash values
and dividends can be availed in case of
financial emergencies during the protection years starting on the third benefit
certificate year. For a detailed presentation of this remarkable financial product
please contact the fraternal counselors in
your respective councils.
Thus, a benefit certificate can make you
a Saint or just another Soul. A Saint
because insurance claims can make the
bereaved family experience a good life
together, even in your absence, and you
will always be remembered as a very
responsible head of the family. A Soul
because, like the wind, you just passed
by. No chance at all that your family may
continue the kind of life you provided.
You are just another soul or death in
the family if you just leave without any
financial legacy. So brother knights, will
you become a Saint or just another Soul?

Roberto T. Cruz

Touching Base with the Foundations

Cherishing the Departed
I have to admit that I am annually pressured to observe All
Saints Day and All Souls Day
following the common way of
spending a lot of time to travel
a short distance in order to
squeeze into hot, cramped or
soggy cemeteries to visit our
departed family members,
relatives and friends. Many
feel that if the graves of loved
ones do not have visitors
during these days, they are
outright viewed with pity for
being neglected by uncaring
families. With the pity usually comes a feeling of disdain
towards the living relatives
who are branded as having no
conscience for neglecting their
departed.
Personally, I feel closer to my
departed loved ones visiting
them during the more peaceful
and isolated off season days
that do not coincide with the
busy All Saints and All Souls
Days. This way, I avoid the an-

noying crowds and traffic and

I can say my prayers in any
way I want without having to
be conscious of what others
may think.
In cherishing our deceased
loved ones, we reminisce the
treasured moments and experiences we personally shared
with them. For others who we
were unable to physically be
with, we simply rely on the
testimonies of those who did
enjoy their earthly presence just
as in the case of the saints and
heroes whom we look up to and
strive to imitate the good they
are known for.
How does one leave behind
a mark by which to be remembered by? Of course, we will
be remembered by our spouse
and children, our siblings and
relatives with whom we have
shared lifes experiences. But
without any personal experiences, as in the case of saints
and heroes, others only hear

or read about their known

deeds. During All Saints
Day, we pray to and seek the
intercession of recognized
saints. This is precisely what
the K of C, KCFAPI and the
Foundations are presently
pursuing thru the National
Executive Committee (NEC)
for the Cause of Fr. George J.
Willmann, SJ to establish Fr.
Willmanns fama sanctitatis
to make him be known by
the public and thus justify
the Cause to raise him to the
honors of the Altar. In the
case of national heroes like
Jose Rizal, their heroic deeds
are already well documented
so one only has to read about
them to remember them.
For ordinary people like us
who continue to live on earth,
we can choose how we will
eventually be remembered by
our family and loved ones in
the future. We may not end up
as national heroes or saints,

but by following the good

examples of these saints and
heroes, we will be guided along
the right path to make our own
important mark or contribution to our family and society.
For our Foundation scholars,
under KCPFI or Fr. Willmann
Charities, we encourage you all
to read and learn more about
Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ and
emulate his deeds. For All
Saints Day and All Souls Day,
as we remember our departed,
let us also acknowledge the
dedication and loving service
given by Fr. Willmann to the K
of C and to the Filipino people
in general. This will differentiate our commemoration of
these holidays from the regular
approach of simply visiting our
dead and socializing to a more
productive one where we not
only cherish the memories of
the departed, but enhance our
own character and person as
well.

CBCP Monitor
October 27 - November 9, 2014 | Vol. 18 No. 22

The Cross

C3

Our Mission Statement

The message of Pope Francis to the Supreme Convention challenges

Knights to live out our vocation to fraternity
By Supreme Knight
Carl A. Anderson
ONE of the highlights of our
annual Supreme Convention is
the message sent to us by our
Holy Father. This year was no
exception. In fact, the message
of Pope Francis this year was
especially important.
In my concluding remarks to
convention delegates, I asked
them to consider the message of
our Holy Father as the Orders
mission statement for the
coming year. Now, I invite every
brother Knight to study this message, because it is our road map
for the months ahead. The popes
message was transmitted to us
in a July 28 letter from Vatican
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro
Parolin and will be printed in full
in the October issue of Columbia.
It is available now at kofc.org.
The theme of this years Supreme Council meeting, You
Will All Be Brothers: Our Voca-

tion to Fraternity, was taken

from the popes message for
the 2014 World Day for Peace.
In his message to us, the pope
reiterated that the Church is
called to be a community of
brothers and sisters who accept
and care for one another and
serve as a leaven of reconciliation
and unity for the whole human
family. He then observed that
this vocation found particular
expression in principles of faith,
fraternity and service which
guided the establishment of the
Knights of Columbus.
Pope Francis went on to say
that the fidelity of the Knights
to these high ideals has not only
ensured the continued vitality of [our] Order, but has also
contributed, and continues to
contribute, to the mission of the
Church at every level.
We can say that this is high
praise from our Holy Father, but
these words bring with them an
even greater responsibility for
our actions in the future.

Pope Francis is calling upon

all Catholics to cast aside what
he has described as a growing
globalization of indifference
and instead to build a community of brothers and sisters who
accept and care for one another.
This, he stated, is our vocation
to fraternity.
And as I said in my annual
report to the Supreme Convention, Who better to respond to
this call than the worlds greatest
Catholic fraternal organization?
Our response is one that must
be taken up by every brother
Knight, beginning within our
own families and local councils.
From there, it must reach out
into our parishes and local communities.
The message of our Holy Father also cited the distinguished
history of the Knights of Columbus in promoting the virtue
of patriotism and our work to
build a more just society. In that
regard, he thanked us for our efforts to defend religious liberty

and the free exercise of religion,

saying no one can demand that
religion should be relegated to
the inner sanctum of personal
life, without influence on societal
or national life.
Finally, the letter conveyed
Pope Francis gratitude for our
efforts to instill a strong sense of
civic responsibility concerning
the growing threats to the integrity of marriage and the family.
In my report to the Supreme
Convention, I observed that
nearly a decade before Pope
Leo XIIIs great encyclical Rerum
Novarum so clearly identified issues of social justice in the 19th
century and launched what has
come to be known as the Social
Doctrine of the Catholic Church,
Father Michael J. McGivney
established a fraternal association of Catholic men who would
bring the values of the Gospel
into society in order to help build
up the common good.
In this, and so many other
ways, Father McGivneys vision

prepared the Knights of Columbus for the laitys active role in

the life of the Church and society
that was proposed by the Second
Vatican Council.
Every brother Knight should
be immensely grateful for the recent guidance given to us by our

Holy Father on how to live out

our vocation to fraternity as
Knights of Columbus. Now that
the course is so clearly set, it is
up to us to see to it that we move
forward in our mission with determination and integrity.
Vivat Jesus!

The Gentle Warrior

By James B. Reuter, SJ
Part XIII of Chapter One of The Gentle Warrior series

CHAPTER ONE: Training

But there were joyous, exuberant moments.

The Novices at recreation in the cloisters,
outside the buildings, laughing. The Juniors
playing baseball, talking it up to each other in
the infield. Novices on long walks through
the beautiful hills in the autumn, when the
leaves on the trees are changing colors, and
falling to the ground, peacefully. The Juniors
doing Shakespeare, emoting as Hamlet, and
Macbeth, and Julius Ceasar, and Falstaff. The
fusions, when the whole house was together,
comparing notes, talking to old friends, encouraging each other.
The Novitiate is an emotional time.
The young men are facing themselves,

squarely, planning their lives, estimating

their own strength. Externally, it seems
uneventful, but internally there are mountains and valleys, sunlight and shadows,
laughter and tears. Sometimes, a Novice
leaves, feeling that the life of a Jesuit priest
is not for him. This is always a sad moment. One young Jesuit said: Whenever
anyone leaves, all of us failed! It could,
of course, be the will of God. But all of
us the Novices feel a deep responsibility
for each other.
There were beautiful moments: At Christmas season, when all of us the young men
went out into the hills to gather laurel and
weave it into garlands. The Christmas
carols sung in the dark, on Christmas Eve,
just before the Midnight Mass. The strong
Lenten Liturgy, the powerful mens voices
singing: My people, what have I done to
you? Answer me! . The joyful days of
vacation in the summer time. Swimming in
the Hudson River. The peaceful moments
of prayer in the chapel. on the bluff, overlooking the river.the realization that God
is with you.
There were two painful crises for George
Willmann, during those four years at Saint
Andrews. The first was World War I. The
United States entered the war in 1917, when
George was a second year Novice, about to
take perpetual vows. Because he was in
training for the priesthood, he was excused
from military service. But many seminarians, all over the country, left their seminaries
to enlist in the Armed Forces.
George thought about this. He considered it, seriously. But the overpowering reflection came from the Spiritual Exercises,
which he had made, for thirty days. It was

the meditation on the Kingdom. God was

calling all to fight under His standard, His
flag. Saint Ignatius Loyola was a soldier,
in the Army of Spain. He left the service
of the King of Spain, to enlist in the Army
of a Greater King. The real war was not
fought with rifles, in trenches. It was not
fought with battleships, and with planes.
It was the war of the spirit. Good against
Evil. Life against Death. And that was
his war, where the stakes were eternal.
Not land, not money, not power. Nothing
that ends with time. He decided to fight
under the flag of Christ our Lord, under
the flag of God.
Other things, about the war, troubled him.
Especially hatred. There was a campaign to
hate the Germans. Some of the relatives of
George, on the German side, has sons fighting in France for the Allies, for the United
States. And at home their houses were
stoned, because their name was German.
George was willing to fight for his country,
but he did not see the need for hatred.
From all his education, with the Jesuits, he
felt that deeper than the passion of nationalism was the brotherhood of man. It is
alright to condemn the sin, but we should try
to love the sinner. It is alright to condemn
the fault, but we should try to love the one
who has it. Boys were dying to keep the
world safe for democracy. George never
challenged this. He was not a pacifist. He
never said that he was against war. But he
felt that there were deeper and more beautiful things for which to die.
He took his perpetual vows, as a Jesuit,
On August 15, 1917, in the chapel of Saint
Andrews on the Hundson.
(To be continued on the next issue.)

A Little Prayer / C2

All humor aside, not everyone knows why we still pray

for them on the day dedicated
for The Commemoration of the
Faithful Departed. And for the
sake of knowing, be enlightened.
All hope abandon, ye who
enter here. Thats the inscription Dante encountered before
he crossed the threshold of the
final gate to hell before getting
to Purgatory and finally reaching paradise or as we know it,
Heaven. It is an excerpt from
Dante Alighieris The Divine
Comedy which allegorically describes the journey towards God.
All Souls Day is associated with
the Roman Catholic doctrine that
the souls of the faithful who at
death have not been purged
from the secular punishment
due to sins and have not atoned
for past transgressions cannot
immediately attain sanctification
which is a requirement to enter
Heaven. With that, as Catholics
what we can offer for them are
prayers and offering of the Mass
to assist for their purification
which is carried out in Purgatory. Prayers for the departed
in general is a documented
practice in early Christianity
and was established by the end
of the first millennium. A legend
provided in Life of St. Odilo by
Peter Damiani, told of a pilgrim
returning from the Holy Land
who met a hermit telling him
that amid the rocks in an island

was a chasm connecting with

Purgatory from which perpetually rose the groans of tortured
souls. The hermit also claimed
he had heard the complaints of
the demons on the efficacy of the
prayers of the faithful in rescuing
their victims. Upon returning
home, the pilgrim went to St.
Odilo of Cluny to inform him of
what he learned, St. Odilo then
set the 2nd day of November
as a day of intercession on the
part of his community for all the
souls in Purgatory back in 998.
The Feast of All Souls reminds
us of our duty to live holy lives
and anticipate that there will
be sanctification of the souls of
those meant for Heaven. Now
that as we mentioned it, let us
shift our focus from Purgatory
to Heaven back on the preceding
day. November 1 is devoted to
the Feast of All Saints or known
as All Saints Day. Back then
every saint is celebrated with
his or her own specific feast day.
Yet as the number of beatified
faithful grew, both known and
unknown, 365 days werent
enough to commemorate their
glories. With that, November
1 was officially mandated by
Pope Gregory VII as the date to
celebrate the Feast of All Saints,
according to the record of Sicard
of Cremona. Though there had
been other records of when it
actually started, Pope Gregory
III dedicated an oratory in the

original St. Peters Basilica for

honoring all saints and this
was celebrated on November
1 in Rome. Then, St. Bede recorded that the said feast is also
celebrated on November 1 in
England. It was also recounted
that Pope Gregory IV asked
King Louis the Pious to proclaim
November 1 as All Saints Day
throughout the Holy Roman
Empire. While Pope Gregory
IV according to John Beleth, an
Early Church historian, officially
declared November 1 as the
Feast of All Saints. Now, how
do we celebrate or observe this
day? Once more, the answer is
prayer. We pray for all the saints,
to all the saints, and of all the
saints. We ask for prayers and
intercessions of these holy men
and women. It is believed that
all of Gods people in heaven,
earth, and even in the Purgatory
are connected in a communion. It
means that the saints of God, the
martyrs we loved as the Lords
disciples and imitators, continually intercede on our behalf and
our communion with them connects us closer to Christ.
There had been conspiracies
as to the origin of these feasts.
Particularly the Feast of All
Souls, that it has been merely
influenced by pagan beliefs and
festivities. Nonetheless, both
these feasts are entrenched from
Christian belief and took place in
the life of the Catholic Church

through a sturdy spirituality.

These are not observed in tribute
to death itself. But rather it is a
chance to remember, express
our gratitude, and pay respect
to the departed and at the same
time to reflect upon the meaning
and purpose of our existence. It
is not about reliving the grief,
frightening one another of the
unknown, being all melancholic
or setting up a gloomy and
sinister atmosphere. Instead, let
our love and Gods love for the
departed transpire and instill
bliss in knowing that through
our prayers the faithful deceased
shall reach Gods paradise. So
we fix our eyes not on what is
seen but on what is unseen since
what is seen is temporary but
what is unseen is eternal. 2
Corinthians 4:18
Let us ponder that death is not
something to dread but its one
form of teaching us to live and
not just to exist. Live a meaningful life than leave it full of
plight. As Martin Luther puts it,
Until man is nothing, God can
make nothing of him. Muse on
the significance of these feasts.
Let us not forget how Gods
love manifested on all the saints
and always remember what the
faithful departed had left us with
something to live for.
Our dead are never dead
to us until we have forgotten
them. George Eliot (Concha
Luz F. Angeles)

Father McGivney Office - Philippines

would like to invite you to take part in

Father McGivney Catechetical Tour

The life, legacy, and the Cause for the Canonization

of Venerable Fr. Michael McGivney
Who are encouraged to attend:
All Brother Knights and Columbian Squires
(minimum of 10 persons)
Tours are on weekdays and Sundays ONLY,
contact Lin Regino of FMO - PH to schedule your
visit via mobile - 0927-6996090,
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fathermcgivneyph,
or email: admin@fathermcgivney.ph.
Get to know more about the Knights of
Columbus Founder, Fr. McGivney!
Schedule your visit! Snacks are on us!
See you there!

The Cross

C4

Getting to Know your

KCFAPI Board of Trustees
An Aquarian, born on 16 February 1948
in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, Atty. Rogelio V. Garcia studied at a public elementary
school in Mailag, Bukidnon and went to
high school in San Isidro College, a Catholic
institution in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
He then proceeded to Manila to take up his
Bachelor of Arts degree at San Beda College
where he likewise pursued law studies. He
passed the Philippine Bar examinations in
1972.
During his College days, Atty. Garcia became an active student. He became a Student
Council Vice-President and ultimately became the President of the council of San Beda
College. He used to be an active participant
in the First Quarter Storm as he always
finds himself involved in street rallies and
demonstrations fighting for the rights of the
students, the ordinary men on the street and
the farmers. He likewise fought against the
abuses of the military as well as the excesses
of the then Marcos regime. He got married
in 1972 in General Santos City to Lucila
Baby' Lim and was blessed with four kids:
Roselle Tanya a doctor, who is now based in
the United States; Rogelio Ernesto, Jr. who
is a farmer and businessman, Rosskim, a
charter pilot, and Richie Leann, a Medical
Technologist. He has now a total of eight
(8) wonderful grandchildren.
Building a family of his own at that time
didnt slow down Atty. Garcia in leading an
active social life. As a matter of fact, he joined
several professional and civic organizations
like the General Santos City Jaycees where
he became its President in 1977. He also became a member of the Knights of Columbus,
Council No. 4639 and later became the Grand

Knight in 1983. At present, he is a Fourth

Degree member of the Sarangani Bay Assembly. In addition, he held important positions
under the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
(IBP) in South Cotabato. He became its
President from 1983-1985, Governor for its
Western Mindanao Region from 2005-2007
and Deputy Director of the Commission on
Bar Discipline from 2007-2009. He was also
one of the few who were selected to become
a member of the Group Study Exchange
Team (GSE) of the Rotary International under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of
General Santos in 1978 where he was sent
to the States of Oregon, Washington, part of
Canada, the Yukon territory and Alaska. It
was also during this time when he was given
recognition for his professional, religious and
civic activities.

In 1984, he was elected member of the first

elections for regular Members of Parliament,
otherwise known as the Batasang Pambansa
where he represented the Province of South
Cotabato and General Santos City. He was
sent to the United States in 1985 to further
understand the intricacies of governance in
the California State parliament as well as to
study government practices in Washington,
D.C. He likewise served as Under Secretary
of the Department of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) during President Corazon Aquinos
term after Marcos was ousted from office
following the EDSA Revolution in 1986.
As DOLE under secretary, he would travel
around the globe to attend to the concerns
of the OFWs.
At present, Atty. Garcia practices his law
profession in General Santos City. There, he
joined a small group of Jaycee Senators and
helped re-organize the General Santos City
Jaycee Senate. In 2009 he became its President and ultimately became a member of
the Board of Directors of the Junior Chamber
International Senate Philippines (JCISP) in
2010, 2011 and 2012. He was re-nominated
and elected as Vice-President for Mindanao
of the JCISP. Currently, he is the Director
and Vice-President for Mindanao of the
Philippine Jaycee Senate Foundation, Inc.
Moreover, he is the incumbent Chairman of
the board of the Sagay Central Inc., a sugar
milling company based in Sagay City, Negros
Occidental. As a businessman, he operates a
gasoline station in Valencia City, Bukidnon.
He dabbles likewise as a weekend farmer
engaged in pineapple growing and corn
production and other allied agricultural
activities.

Speech Delivered By Dean Josefe SorreraTy during the First KCPFI Grand Alumni
Homecoming last September 13, 2014
Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.
Dreams are made in heaven
and God sends angels to ensure
dreams do come true.
I was eight years old when
I told my parents I would be
a certified public accountant
and a lawyer. I confidently told
them I would study accounting
and law at the University of the
Philippines. My father was filled
with joy upon hearing this, but
my mother cautioned me and
said I should not be so ambitious because we do not have
enough financial resources for
this dream of mine. The words
of caution from my mother did
not discourage me because I was
very confident God would look
for a way to make my dream a
reality. I knew God knew why I
wanted to be a CPA and a Lawyer. He knew that my dream was
born out of the experiences I had
undergone as a small child.
God knew I wanted to be a
CPA so I could help people start
businesses and manage businesses so there will no longer be
a need for spouses to be separated from each other when one
stays at home and the other has
to go abroad to look for a living; so that parents will not be
separated from their children.
I was separated from my father
for two years because he had to
be an overseas contract worker
in Malaysia and in Singapore in
order to save enough money so
that we could manage to study
in good schools.
God also knew I wanted to be
a lawyer so that people would
always be given a chance to be
heard and explain their side of
the story before they are judged
and that everyone would have
a fair and equal chance in their
lives. When I was still five years
old, our village was cordoned
by military men. They barged
into the houses. Although I was
just five years old and didnt
even know I had the right to
privacy, I felt it was not right for
someone to be awakened early
morning and to be asked to go
out we were still in our sleeping dresses - and these soldiers
went to our house, opened our
cabinets, opened everything.
Although my father allowed
them, I felt violated. I was only
five but I felt that this should not
happen - for strangers to just go
in your house and look into the
nooks and cranny that are supposed to be very private. I was
five then. Maybe I was meant to
be a lawyer because I didnt feel
comfortable at that time.
Why UP? I wanted UP because
I wanted to bring knowledge
given to a select few to the
thousands of young people in
my region who cannot avail of

a UP education. I come from the

poorest region in the country,
still the poorest at this point in
time CARAGA region.
This dream of mine was slowly
unfolding with the help of angels
sent by God like my dedicated
teachers in elementary and high
school who taught me well. I was
able to pass the UPCAT and be
admitted to the very competitive
BS Business Administration and
Accountancy course of UP Diliman. Unfortunately, there was a
cloud hanging over my dream.
My mother was right. Although
I had passed the UPCAT, our
finances did not pass the financial demands for college life in
Manila. Scholarships then were
very scarce. They were mostly
granted to those who wanted to
pursue science-related courses.
My parents really wanted my
dream to come true. They sold
some of our assets so that we
would be able to pay for my
transportation to UP Diliman
and to have money to pay for my
dorm expenses. I know how my
parents felt. They wanted to be
the angels that would make my
dream come true.
My father and I searched for
scholarships. My dream came
true when one day, my father
informed me that he read in
the K of C newsletter an announcement regarding the K
of C scholarship. I filed my application and my dream was on
its way of coming true. I got the
scholarship.
My dream of taking up law
in UP also became true because
the doors of opportunity were
already all wide open for me.
In fact, after passing the CPA
Board exam, I received a lot
of invitations to work in highpaying corporations but I told
myself I had a promise I
would be a lawyer. Id go back
to Butuan and help. And so I
continued my law studies and
after that, because I graduated
in the Top 20 of my class in UP,
I also got a lot of offers from
reputable law firms. But I told
myself, I have to go back to
Butuan because that was where
I could help more. There was
really a Pull to go back always
to go back, and indeed, I went
back. I worked as a public attorney in the Public Attorneys
Office and I always kept hearing people ask: Why are you
here? Why are you not working
somewhere else? The pay is so
low. But my goal was never to
have a high salary. My goal was
to help. In fact, I pleaded that I
be allowed to work as a volunteer lawyer in PAO. There was
no vacancy. But I saw the need
for more lawyers to serve the
indigent litigants because there
were only three (3) lawyers then

serving the province of Agusan

del Norte.
I have always asked the question: Why is there a yearning
to be with those who are in the
margins of society? Today, that
question was answered when I
entered the Museum and learned
about this wonderful person
who made my dream come true Fr. Willmann. I told myself: Now
I know why there was always
the Call to go back and serve the
poor. Its because the man who
was the angel that helped me
with my dream when I was still
in high school had a very soft
heart for the poor.
Fr. Willman is an angel. He
is a saint. He helped me with
my prayer when we were looking for scholarships. He knew
I really needed it badly and
thats why I got the Knights of
Columbus Scholarship. Upon
being informed of this alumni
homecoming of K of C scholars,
I did a research on the person/s
behind my Knights of Columbus scholarship. I could not
find anything-just a description
about the Knights of Columbus.
I was asking who is he? Who
was this wonderful person, who
was kind enough to intercede
for me? Who felt my deepest
desire? I was certain that there
was a loving person who was
the wind beneath my wings.
Today, I met him. Today, when
Roberto Cruz led us to the Museum and introduced us to Fr.
Willman, I could not describe
the joy in my heart. The joy of
knowing the person who have
loved me and I believe continues to love me. Now, I have met
my benefactor. I have met the
man who had been journeying
with me holding my hand and
making sure my dreams come
true. Thats why there is always
that Pull in me. In fact, even
now, I could feel Fr. Willmann
is here.
I am at the crossroad of my life
today. Two roads beckon me:
the old road I have been taking
- serving those who could not
afford legal assistance, and a new
road to concentrate in helping
our family business. I have been
thinking seriously of leaving the
old road the work I have been

doing because of frustrations, because I am already tired, because

I want to have a comfortable
work. For years, I have climbed
mountains and gone to far places
and so I want to rest. But after
meeting Fr. Willmann and seeing his eyeglasses with scotch
tape. I know which road to take.
Comfort is not a necessity. Love
is a necessity. The path of love is
not easy but it is the one that will
make ones life joyful. I know
and I will continue journeying
with the people close to the heart
of Fr. Willmann. That is my Call.
There will always be a Call.
Your Call might not be the same
as my Call, but then, that Call
will always be to Serve. Your
Call might be to serve people
in business, in government like
Maam Glo. We should heed
that Call because whatever it is,
its our way of saying Thank You
to this wonderful person and to
the wonderful persons who are
here with us who have been very
generous.
You asked me, Bobby, to answer the question: What is the
impact of my KC Scholarship to
my career and life? The impact is
here and it continues. The impact
is that we must always be generous because we are what we are
now because of the generosity of
a lot of persons who do not even
know us but have helped us and
made us what we are now. And I
want to express my gratitude to
all of you, through a song. I am
not a good singer but I found a
song that is so meaningful. It is
a love song but I think it is really
something that should be shared
or sung even if Im out of tune.
Im not a singer. Im an orator
but I want to sing this song for
you. Its entitled Ikaw sung by
Sharon Cuneta. If you know the
song, sing with me. This song
expresses the impact of the KC
Scholarship on my career and
my life:
Ikaw ang bigay ng Maykapal,
Tugon sa aking dasal.
Upang sa lahat ng panahon,
bawat pagkakataon
ang ibigin koy ikaw.
Ikaw ang tanglaw sa king
mundo, kabiyak nitong puso ko.
Wala ni kahati mang saglit, na
sa yoy may ipapalit,
ngayot kailan may ikaw.
Ang lahat ng aking galaw ang
sanhi ay ikaw.
Kung may bukas mang tinatanaw ay dahil may isang ikaw..
Kulang ang magpakailanpaman
upang bawat sandali ay...
upang mulit muli ay... ang mahalin ay ikaw.
A lifetime will never be
enough to thank Fr. Willmann
and all of you beautiful people of
the Knights of Columbus. Thank
you so much!

CBCP Monitor
Vol. 18 No. 22 | - October 27 - November 9, 2014

KC, KCFAPI host skills

training for out-ofschool youth

Luzon Deputy and KCFAPI President, Arsenio Isidro G. Yap leads the opening of the Hotel
and Restaurant Services Training Program launch, together with KCFAPI Executive
Vice President, Ma. Theresa G. Curia, Luzon State officers and representatives of
DSW-MLA. Yen Ocampo

The Knights of Columbus Luzon Jurisdiction together with

its insurance arm, the Knights of
Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI)
launched a hotel and restaurant
services skills training program
last Oct. 7 at the KC Fr. George J.
Willmann, SJ Center in Intramuros, Manila.
The training, which is being
organized in coordination with
the DSW-Manila Manpower
Development Center of the
City of Manila, aims to teach
the out-of-school youth basic
skills for food and beverage
services as a livelihood opportunity.
Samuel O. Ambayer from
DSW-MLA will be the resource
speaker of the said skills train-

ing program that will run until

November 7, 2014.
Among the topics to be discussed are basics of table setting
that includes napkin-folding and
table-skirting, cocktail-mixing,
hotel housekeeping, bartending,
and flower arrangement, among
others.
To be eligible for the program,
participants must be physically
and mentally fit, must be between 18-35 years of age and are
residing in Metro Manila.
At the end of the course, attendees of the training program
will be given a TESDA accreditation certificate. DSW-MLA is a
TESDA accredited training center that assists in the implementation of livelihood programs in
the City of Manila. (YO)

FBG DAY. The Visayas Head Office of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Phiippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) celebrated their Fraternal Benefits
Group (FBG) Day last September 30. The event was graced by KCFAPI Vice
President for Fraternal Benefits Group, Gari San Sebastian (seated, rightmost)
and Fraternal Benefits Services Manager, Michael Cabra (standing, leftmost).
(FBG News)

FBG holds Fraternal Service Training Program. Participants of the Fraternal

Service Training (FST) pose with KCFAPI Fraternal Benefits Services Manager, Michael
P. Cabra during their training held last September 16 and 17, 2014. Kris Jay Yngco

ADAMSON UNIVERSITY. The National Executive Committee (NEC) for the Cause
of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ expresses its gratitude to Adamson University
for allowing the NEC representatives to conduct awareness campaign on the
Cause of Fr. Willmann last October 14 and for helping the group disseminate
its materials to students and admin. officers of Adamson in coordination with
Fr. Nonong G. Fajardo, CM, Ministry of Public Affairs, Archdiocese of Manila.

STELLA MARIZ COUNCIL 4265. Brother Knights from Stella Mariz Council 4265 of
Cavite City led by Grand Knight Andres Zarsozo together with their ladies visited the
Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ museum in Intramuros, Manila last October 16. The tour
was facilitated in coordination with South Western Luzon Stars Area Manager, Nonie
Ayon and accompanied by KCFAPI-H.R. and Corporate Communications Manager,
Ma. Kristianne Pascual. Jerome De Guzman